Gao Ling City, Blue Wind Empire
Two days had passed since the tomb selection — and the sudden disappearance of Dracule Mihawk.
The once-chaotic city had slowly returned to its restless rhythm, yet beneath the surface, fear and reverence still rippled like unseen waves.
A legend had been born.
At first, the sects were shaken to their core. The mysterious swordsman who had appeared out of nowhere had single-handedly knocked out more than forty high-level cultivators within the tomb — including elders and sect masters — in a single, unfathomable strike.
When the sect masters finally regained consciousness, pale and trembling, they wasted no time issuing an imperial decree that swept across the entire Blue Wind Empire:
"Never offend the Great Swordsman."
It became a command whispered in every sect, carved into every disciple's memory. Even the mighty Burning Heaven Clan, Xiao Sect, and Heavenly Sword Villa — the three dominant powers of the realm — bowed to that decree.
The stories spread like wildfire. The man who had defeated dozens of high-ranking elders had vanished as suddenly as he appeared, leaving nothing but shattered pride and an empire trembling in silence.
Then came the reports.
Two days after the event, the sects sent their scouts to investigate the mountain region where the tomb had been. What they found — or rather, what they didn't find — turned shock into horror.
Two dozen Sky Profound Realm cultivators and five Emperor Profound Realm experts had vanished without a trace.
No remains. No spiritual signatures. Only silence.
To the sects, these cultivators were the apex of existence — individuals whose strength could topple kingdoms and rewrite empires. Yet five of them had been erased as though they had never existed.
The conclusion was clear.
Only he could have done it.
The Great Swordsman.
Whispers soon turned to fearful speculation. The missing experts were believed to be envoys from the Sacred Grounds — powers so great that even the highest sects of the Blue Wind Empire dared not speak their names aloud. Their presence within the empire had always been shrouded in secrecy, but everyone understood their purpose.
It was because of those very envoys that Heavenly Sword Villa had risen so quickly in power over the past year. Their alliance with the Sacred Ground had turned them into an unstoppable force within the Empire's borders.
And yet — even they could not protect their so-called benefactors.
Now, no one dared to breathe Mihawk's name carelessly. The empire's greatest sects held their tongues, their arrogance subdued by fear.
The city lord, Mo Jianfeng of Gao Ling City himself had issued a decree:
"Should the Great Swordsman ever set foot in this city again, you will treat him with utmost respect. Speak no slander. Show no defiance. He is not an enemy — unless you make him one."
Despite the reassurance, anxiety gripped the hearts of every sect and merchant alike. They remembered too well how quickly wrath could fall from the heavens.
Those foolish enough to have provoked him before now lived in constant dread, praying each night that he would not return for vengeance.
But their fears were unfounded.
If the Great Swordsman had desired revenge, there would be no city left to fear him.
And yet, even as the empire regained its uneasy peace, one truth lingered in every whispered rumor, every cautious breath:
The tomb of the Moon Empress — the ancient legacy that had drawn so many cultivators to their doom — was gone.
Vanished.
The temple, the statue, even the teleportation formation itself had turned to dust. The site where history and myth once converged now lay barren and cold, as if the heavens had erased its very existence.
Only a handful of those who entered the temple survived — and they were now revered, not for their strength, but for their luck.
For they alone had glimpsed the Moon Empress's statue before it crumbled into nothingness.
=================
A lone figure descended from the clouds, her robes fluttering like drifting snowflakes as she approached the gates of Gao Ling City.
It had been two days of continuous flight — two days since she left the frozen kingdom behind. The familiar skyline of the city stretched before her once more, though everything felt different now.
She had come here once as a participant of the Tomb Selection — an ordinary cultivator seeking strength. That woman had perished within the tomb.
The one walking toward the gates now was someone else entirely.
Clad in flowing sky-blue robes and a thin silken veil, the woman moved with unhurried grace. Each step carried an elegance that seemed almost unearthly — a beauty too refined to belong among mortals. Yet her expression remained calm, composed, and unreadable.
Her name was Chu Yueli — though to the world, she had been known as Li Yue, the quiet contestant who had vanished with the collapse of the Moon Empress's tomb.
Now, reborn from that ruin, she returned not as a competitor but as a silent witness.
Instead of returning to the Frozen Cloud Asgard, she had chosen to come here without announcement or escort. The sect would not yet know of her survival, and she preferred to keep it that way — at least for now.
Her current cultivation, if revealed, would shake the Empire itself.
An Emperor Profound Realm expert could flatten this city with a flick of her wrist. Not to mention, a Grand Perfection Emperor Profound Realm like her.
But she walked like a passing traveler, her immense power hidden beneath the Profound Suppressing Bracelet she had found within Mihawk's ring — one of the Moon Empress's relics. With it, she had masked her aura to her former level: the Sixth Stage of the Sky Profound Realm.
Now, she looked no different from any other wandering expert.
Or so she thought.
Even with her aura concealed, her presence drew eyes wherever she went. The subtle sway of her robe, the faint scent of frost that lingered in her wake, and the delicate features half-hidden behind her veil all commanded silent reverence.
Whispers rippled through the crowd as she passed through the city gate.
"Look… her robes… Frozen Cloud Asgard."
"Impossible. The Asgard hasn't sent anyone out in years."
"Could she be… one of the Seven Fairies?"
"The sect is closed for training. Why would one of them appear here now?"
No one dared approach her, yet everyone turned to stare.
For centuries, the maidens of Frozen Cloud Asgard had been regarded as untouchable — ethereal women of ice who rarely stepped beyond their sacred mountain. To glimpse even one in the open was like seeing a myth walk the earth.
And this woman — veiled, radiant, and calm as a winter moon — seemed far beyond what rumor could describe.
If she was here, then something extraordinary was about to happen.
Chu Yueli continued down the main street, ignoring the curious gazes. Beneath her serene composure, her thoughts stirred restlessly.
She had come not for attention, not for power, but for answers.
Mihawk… are you still here?
The name echoed softly within her heart, carrying both warmth and guilt. She owed him her life, yet she had left him behind.
Now, she was determined to learn his fate — even if it meant tearing through heaven and earth to find it.
Within the bustling heart of Gao Ling City, respect for Frozen Cloud Asgard still ran deep. Even among the great sects — the Burning Heaven Clan, Xiao Sect, and Heavenly Sword Villa — few could rival the silent prestige of those snow-born maidens.
To see one in person was to see living grace.
Chu Yueli walked through the central district in serene silence, her light-blue robes fluttering softly with each step. The faint chill that followed her made the air crisp and clear — as though her very presence purified the street she passed.
The crowd instinctively parted. Some bowed out of courtesy, others merely watched in reverent silence. The Asgard Fairies were legendary not only for their beauty, but for their pride and unearthly bearing — women who descended from the mountains only when the heavens themselves willed it.
At the city square, a small patrol of soldiers approached. They had been alerted by the gate sentries moments earlier, and even the captain of the watch wore an expression of nervous respect.
When they stood before her, all of them bowed deeply, cupping their hands.
"Asgard Fairy," their captain greeted, his voice steady but reverent. "We are the city patrol under the lord's command. Word of your arrival reached us from the gates. Please forgive us — we were not prepared to receive an esteemed guest such as yourself."
Chu Yueli lifted her delicate hand, motioning lightly for them to rise. Her tone was soft yet carried a quiet authority that silenced the square.
"It is not necessary. I am merely here to meet with your city lord."
The captain blinked, momentarily surprised that such a figure would request something so simple. Then, quickly regaining composure, he nodded and gestured to his men.
"Of course, Fairy. Please, this way. We will escort you to the lord's manor immediately. A carriage will be prepared."
Yueli inclined her head in acknowledgment, her silvery eyes calm and unreadable. "That will suffice."
Though she knew the manor's location by memory — she had been here before, after all — she chose to accept their escort. It would be unwise to stir suspicion by moving too freely, and besides, she was now here as herself, not the veiled Li Yue from before.
As she followed the soldiers through the streets, the crowd's murmurs followed her like a distant echo:
"An Asgard Fairy… in the city?"
"She must be here about the Great Swordsman…"
But Chu Yueli paid no mind. Her heart was calm, yet somewhere beneath that icy serenity lingered a trace of warmth — and something fragile, like hope.
If Mihawk truly disappeared…
Her fingers brushed the silver ring on her hand, the one he left her.
Then I'll find out where he went.
===================
Mo Jianfeng sat behind his ornate desk, enjoying the rare tranquility that had returned to his manor. For the first time in days, he could breathe without tension knotting his chest.
The Tomb Selection had ended. The crowds had dispersed. And the shadow of chaos that once loomed over his city was finally gone.
Or so he tried to tell himself.
But his thoughts often strayed — back to that day, two days ago, when the Great Swordsman unleashed a power that no words could describe.
The memory still haunted him.
One moment, the temple had been filled with the Empire's most powerful elders — late-stage Sky Profound masters, sect leaders, and honored guests. The next, every single one of them was lying unconscious on the ground.
He remembered it vividly: the faint, invisible pressure that rippled through the air like a whisper of death.
It wasn't a blast. It wasn't even an explosion. It was just… a presence.
A single wave — and the world went dark.
His attendants later told him they had all lost consciousness instantly. Yet somehow, he had remained awake. He didn't know why. Perhaps it was mercy. Perhaps it was a warning.
The swordsman could have erased him from existence, yet he hadn't.
"What kind of technique… could do that?" he murmured to himself, still uneasy.
Before his thoughts could spiral further, the doors to his chamber slid open. One of his attendants stepped inside, bowing deeply.
"My lord," the man said respectfully. "You have a guest."
"A guest?" He frowned, rubbing his temples. "The tournament ended two days ago. Tell them the manor isn't open for—"
"She is… not one of the competitors, my lord," the attendant interrupted gently. "She comes from outside the city."
That caught his attention. He raised a brow. "She?"
The attendant swallowed nervously, then delivered the message. "Yes, my lord. She is Chu Yueli of the Frozen Cloud Asgard."
For a brief moment, the entire room froze. Then—
"What?!?!"
Mo Jianfeng nearly fell backward from his chair, his expression a mix of shock and disbelief.
"Frozen Cloud… Asgard?!?" He sprang to his feet, the weight of those words wiping away every trace of fatigue. "Why didn't you say so earlier?! Bring her in at once!"
The attendant, composed despite his lord's panic, bowed again. "She is already waiting in the courtyard."
Without another word, Mo Jianfeng swept past him, his heart pounding as he hurried through the manor's halls.
Frozen Cloud Asgard.
Even among the empire's four great powers, that name carried divine reverence. Their disciples were as untouchable as they were beautiful, their elders said to wield the purity of winter itself.
For one of their high-ranking members — Chu Yueli, no less — to personally request an audience…
This was not just a visit. It was an event.
By the time he reached the courtyard, the servants and guards were already kneeling in neat rows, their eyes lowered.
And at the center of it all stood a single figure in a blue robe, her silken veil faintly shimmering under the morning light. A calm, gentle frost surrounded her like a soft breeze of snow.
Mo Jianfeng's breath caught in his throat.
Even without seeing her face, he could tell — this was no ordinary woman. This was esteemed Fairy of the Frozen Glass.
Mo Jianfeng stepped into the courtyard, he halted mid-stride.
There — standing beside the marble fountain — was a vision so serene that even the sound of flowing water seemed to soften around her.
A woman in sky-blue robes stood quietly, her slender fingers tracing the ripples on the fountain's surface. Sunlight filtered through the veil draped across her face, catching faint glimpses of porcelain skin beneath. The delicate frost that lingered around her gave the illusion that winter itself had paused to watch her breathe.
Mo Jianfeng swallowed hard. So the rumors were true.
The Frozen Cloud Fairies were said to be so beautiful that even the flowers of spring dared not bloom beside them — and now, faced with one in the flesh, he found the legends wanting.
To think such a woman had come to his manor…
He straightened himself quickly and stepped forward, cupping his hands in reverence. "Fairy Chu Yueli," he said with the utmost respect, his voice trembling slightly despite himself. "Please forgive my delay. For one such as yourself to grace this humble place… this city lord is deeply honored. May I ask what matter brings the fairy of Asgard to my home?"
The woman turned slowly to face him. Her movements were calm, each gesture precise, carrying the quiet dignity of someone used to being revered.
"Are you the city lord?" Her voice was soft — cool and melodic, like snowflakes brushing against glass.
"Yes," Mo Jianfeng replied quickly, bowing again. "This humble one serves as the lord of Gao Ling City."
"Good."
She wasted no time on formalities. Her tone remained polite but direct, betraying the weight of her purpose.
"Then forgive my intrusion," she said. "I will get straight to the point. I came to inquire about a participant in your city's Tomb Selection, two days ago."
Mo Jianfeng blinked in surprise. "A participant?"
That was unexpected. The fairies of Frozen Cloud Asgard were known for their aloofness — they rarely concerned themselves with matters beyond their sect, let alone ask about individuals. Moreover, they accepted no men into their ranks.
He thought for a moment, then nodded in understanding, assuming she referred to the only one who might fit such interest.
"Ah, I see. You must mean the lone fairy who took part in the selection."
Yueli's heart skipped a beat — though her expression didn't change. The lone fairy? She knew instantly who he meant. Still, she decided to play along, concealing her true intent.
"Lone fairy?" she asked with feigned confusion. "I'm afraid I don't follow."
Mo Jianfeng nodded solemnly. "Yes. She was the only woman who entered the tomb of the Moon Empress that day. A cultivator of great beauty and calm demeanor. From what I was told, she fought bravely — but…" His tone lowered, a shadow crossing his face. "If that is the person you're seeking, then I must offer my condolences."
"Condolences?"
He sighed deeply. "She did not return. Only one participant emerged from the tomb alive. The rest were lost — and with the collapse of the site, recovery was impossible. Her body remains within, never to be found."
For a moment, silence filled the courtyard — broken only by the soft trickle of the fountain.
Chu Yueli's fingers curled slightly by her side, hidden beneath her sleeve. Her heart trembled — not from the words themselves, but from hearing her own death pronounced so matter-of-factly.
So this was how the world remembered her — a nameless "lone fairy" lost to the tomb.
If only they knew.
But she couldn't correct him. Not yet. She had come for another purpose — to ask about the man who saved her life, the one who vanished that same day.
She took a quiet breath and steadied her voice. Her eyes softened for a heartbeat — before returning to their calm, wintry stillness.
"I… see." A faint tremor escaped her tone, but she masked it quickly. "That's unfortunate."
Mo Jianfeng, mistaking her distant tone for mourning, sighed. "She would've been a remarkable addition to your sect, Fairy Chu. A shame, truly — she seemed unlike any of the others. Graceful, calm, and courageous to the very end."
Yueli lowered her gaze, concealing the faint flicker of pain in her eyes. So that's how they speak of me now…
"Then," she continued after a pause, her voice measured, "you said only one participant made it out alive?"
"Yes." Mo Jianfeng nodded gravely. "He was the sole survivor — the man who faced the eight elders within the tomb and lived to tell the tale. In fact, he did more than survive… he triumphed."
"…"
Her fingers tightened slightly at her side.
"He performed feats that even the sect masters could not comprehend," Mo Jianfeng went on, his tone carrying a mix of awe and disbelief. "They say he single-handedly destroyed the tomb's guardians, and when he escaped the site, every sect within the Empire sought to hunt him down."
Yueli's lips parted faintly. Hunted?
"But," the man continued, "two days ago, I witnessed it with my own eyes. The moment he struck."
Her heart quickened. "What happened?"
Mo Jianfeng exhaled slowly, recalling the event as though it were burned into his soul. "He knocked them out. All of them — every sect master, every elder, every Sky Profound cultivator in that hall — fell in a single instant. Even my own attendants collapsed beside me. The only reason I remained standing…" He shook his head. "I cannot explain it."
Yueli's eyes widened slightly beneath her veil. "Knocked out?" she echoed softly.
"Yes," the lord said. "He used… something. A strange, invisible art — a wave of power that swept through the air faster than thought. One breath, and the hall was silent. Then, he simply walked away."
Her mind reeled. He never said anything about such a power…
Mo Jianfeng's voice lowered, as though speaking of a god. "After that, he vanished. He destroyed the temple as he left, and the sky itself shone green that night — a light that blanketed the mountains. The sects sent their elders to pursue him, but…" He hesitated, swallowing hard. "None of them returned."
Her eyes trembled slightly. "None?"
"No one knows where he went. I assume the elders perished. Whatever art he used… it was beyond the Sky Profound Realm's comprehension. Some say he escaped into the western mountains."
For a long moment, there was only silence. The faint splash of the fountain seemed deafening against the still air.
Finally, Chu Yueli inclined her head slightly. "I see…"
Then, gently — "Thank you for your time, city lord."
She cupped her hands, bowed gracefully, and turned away before he could respond.
Her every step was light and silent, but her heart… was in turmoil.
He escaped. He's alive.
Her lips parted faintly as she exhaled. The faintest smile ghosted across her face, hidden beneath her veil.
However, Mo Jianfeng couldn't help but notice something peculiar.
For someone who had come asking about a fallen participant, the fairy's eyes had glimmered — not with grief, but with quiet interest — when he spoke of the swordsman.
"Forgive me if this sounds bold," he said carefully, "but you seem… particularly interested in this swordsman."
Chu Yueli paused mid-step. She didn't turn, her gaze still on the open courtyard ahead. When she spoke, her voice was soft — calm, measured, and coldly elegant.
"It is wise," she said, "not to offend those who wield great power. I am merely exercising caution… and gathering information about the forces beyond our sect's reach."
Her words were perfectly reasonable, diplomatic — yet there was something in her tone, a faint warmth that didn't belong to a woman of Frozen Cloud Asgard.
Mo Jianfeng nodded, accepting her answer with a respectful bow. "Of course. This one understands. Still, allow me to escort you out, fair lady—"
She raised a delicate hand, stopping him mid-sentence.
"There is no need," she said gently. "You've already done more than enough. Thank you for your hospitality, city lord Mo."
Before he could utter another word, a rush of air swept through the courtyard. A faint shimmer of frost drifted from her robes as she gathered profound energy under her feet and lifted gracefully into the air.
In the blink of an eye, the fairy rose above the rooftops, her blue silhouette outlined against the afternoon sun. Then — like a flake of snow caught in a breeze — she vanished into the western horizon.
Mo Jianfeng remained where he stood, staring at the empty sky for several breaths.
"Strange…" he murmured, stroking his beard. "She spoke of caution, yet her eyes carried… something else."
He sighed and turned back toward his manor, shaking his head.
"That swordsman… to think he's earned the attention — perhaps even the friendship — of a fairy from Frozen Cloud Asgard."
A small smile tugged at his lips. "Truly, a fortunate man."
He walked away, unaware that her interest in the swordsman was far more than diplomacy — and that her next journey toward the western mountains would lead her closer than she imagined to the one she sought.
=================
Chu Yueli soared through the skies, her robes fluttering against the biting wind. The direction the Mo Jianfeng had given her was clear — west of Gao Ling City, beyond the ridges where the mountains met the clouds.
Yet as she flew, she noticed movement below.
Several groups of cultivators were traveling the same way, leaping from peak to peak, their auras faint but distinct. Their eyes burned with greed and curiosity.
"So, even now, they still chase ghosts," she murmured, her tone calm but laced with contempt. "They seek the man they once hunted — now that they know his worth."
She ignored them and ascended higher, letting their insignificant presence fade beneath the mist.
Soon, the landscape below began to change. The mountain range stretched endlessly, but one section stood out — scarred and broken. A colossal portion of the mountainside had been sheared away as if struck by a divine blade. Jagged craters and frozen ridges marked the battlefield.
Chu Yueli descended slowly, the wind around her turning still as she hovered above the devastation.
"It seems… a great battle occurred here."
Her eyes swept over the shattered terrain. Rocks the size of boulders were cleaved cleanly in half, their surfaces smooth like mirrors — the mark of a sword strike. The ground below still pulsed faintly with residual profound energy, thick and oppressive, like the lingering echo of a god's wrath.
Even after two days, the air still hummed with power.
She landed gently on the edge of the ravine, her boots crunching against broken stone. As she took a step forward, a foul odor reached her senses — sharp, rancid, unmistakable.
"…Blood."
Covering her nose with her sleeve, she followed the scent until she found it — a collapsed mound of stone and, beneath it, the twisted remnants of a corpse. The body was half-crushed, the flesh already decaying under the mountain's heat.
But the insignia engraved on what remained of the man's armor was unmistakable.
"The Heavenly Mighty Sword Region…"
Her eyes widened slightly. The realization struck her cold. The sacred ground's disciples were here. That meant Mihawk wasn't just hunted by the sects of the Empire — he drew the wrath of the Sacred Ground itself.
She extended her spiritual senses further into the ruins.
Two more corpses.
One lay slumped against a cracked boulder, a gaping wound piercing straight through the chest — a clean, precise strike that left no time for the man to react. The other had a broken blade lodged deep in his shoulder, frozen solid despite the warmth of the day.
Their auras, faint even in death, confirmed it — late-stage Sky Profound Realm, perhaps even half a step into Emperor.
She exhaled slowly. "He fought them here… and won."
Kneeling, she brushed her fingers lightly over the frozen wound of the second corpse. The profound energy residue was faint, but unmistakable — cold, sharp, and suffocatingly pure.
Her eyes softened. "This energy… his sword."
For a moment, she could almost see it — the swirl of green light, the thunderous clash of power, the silhouette of a lone man standing against the heavens themselves.
She stood silently amid the destruction, her silver hair stirring in the faint breeze. The quiet mountain now felt like a graveyard of arrogance — the aftermath of a battle no mortal should have survived.
And yet… he did.
"Mihawk…" she whispered softly, her voice barely audible above the wind. "Just what kind of man are you?"
Suddenly, the air thickened.
A suffocating pressure rolled across the ruined mountain like a tidal wave, heavy enough to make the stones around her hum.
Chu Yueli froze mid-step. She knew this feeling — that crushing, primal hostility. The same presence she had once felt when defending Frozen Cloud Asgard from an invading beast tide.
Her pupils narrowed.
This aura…!
"ROOAARR!!!"
A deafening bellow tore through the stillness.
From beneath the shattered ground, a colossal serpent burst forth — its scales glimmering like frost, its head masked by a smooth, white carapace that gleamed with an eerie light. The snake's massive fangs gnashed together as it lunged, the earth shattering in its wake.
Yueli reacted instantly. With a single step, her form blurred into a flurry of snow. The Frozen Cloud's Snow Steps — silent, elegant, and impossibly swift. She vanished just as the serpent's jaws snapped shut, crushing boulders where she'd stood moments before.
But before she could catch her breath, two more shapes erupted from the ground — humanoid beasts, their faces covered by the same white mask, their arms grotesquely long and tipped with claws that could tear through iron.
Her eyes widened. Masked beasts? Here?
And then — more came. Dozens.
The mountain trembled as white-masked creatures crawled, leapt, and slithered from every direction, their guttural roars echoing like a storm of madness.
"This place was empty when I arrived…" she muttered, glancing around as she danced through their onslaught, every movement fluid as drifting snow. "How did so many appear at once?"
Each beast's cultivation was no higher than the Peak of True Profound Realm, but their sheer numbers and unnatural coordination forced her into constant motion. They struck with savage precision — not like mindless beasts, but as if driven by instinct… or command.
Something's wrong. This isn't a random attack.
She drew her hand through the air, and frost shimmered in her wake. A wave of freezing mist exploded outward.
The temperature plummeted in an instant.
Dozens of beasts froze mid-roar, their bodies crystallized in pure, translucent ice before shattering to dust. Those that survived recoiled, screeching in defiance before scattering into the skies.
Yueli lifted herself upward, wings of icy energy spreading faintly from her aura. From above, she tracked the movements of the remaining beasts.
But instead of regrouping, they began descending toward the ground — toward the corpses.
Her eyes widened.
"…They're not after me."
Below, the flying beasts screeched and dove, fighting savagely over the fallen cultivators. Their claws ripped into flesh and stone alike, each one devouring what remained of the dead sacred ground disciples.
Some turned on each other, their shrieks echoing across the mountain as they fought to consume every last corpse.
And then — the largest serpent, the masked one that had attacked her first, slithered to the ruins where the most decayed body lay buried. It unhinged its massive jaw and swallowed it whole in one gulp.
The crunch of bone echoed like thunder.
Yueli hovered in silence, eyes narrowing in horror and confusion. "These beasts… they're devouring cultivators?"
A flash of sickly white light pulsed across the serpent's mask — faint, but unmistakable.
The humanoid beasts followed suit, their bodies trembling as the same glow spread across their masks. One after another, the survivors began to convulse, the profound energy around them rising violently, chaotically.
Yueli's heart skipped a beat. Are they… absorbing the cultivators' essence?!
Then, it happened.
Something so shocking, so unnatural, that for a moment Chu Yueli forgot to breathe.
The beasts that had devoured the corpses began to change.
Their bodies convulsed violently, bones cracking beneath their flesh as their auras surged chaotically. Before her stunned eyes, their frames expanded — muscle and sinew stretching, bones elongating until they towered over her completely. What had once been large beasts were now titans, their bodies swelling until they reached half the height of the mountain itself.
A low, guttural roar shook the heavens.
Then came the darkness.
Black mist poured from their bodies like a plague, thick and heavy, twisting the air itself as it coiled around them. The sky dimmed, and the sun's rays bent and warped under the spreading shadow.
Within that roiling shroud, something began to take form.
Yueli's breath caught as pale limbs pushed through the darkness — white, unnaturally smooth, like carved ivory. Massive hands, tipped with clawed fingers, emerged from the sides of the swirling haze. Beneath them, colossal white feet pressed into the earth, crushing rock and soil beneath their weight.
And then she saw it — the mask.
A horrifyingly smooth white face materialized from the black fog, featureless at first… until a jagged spike burst from its crown, followed by a ring of spines circling its neck like a macabre halo. Two glowing crimson eyes snapped open within the mask, and a long, shrill sound echoed from deep inside its body — half roar, half scream.
As if that wasn't enough, the final transformation struck her cold — a hole tore open in the creature's chest, a gaping void that pulsed with a faint, hungry light.
The aura it emitted was suffocating, wrong, unnatural.
Chu Yueli's hand trembled slightly as she whispered, "What… in the divine heavens am I witnessing?"
Her mind raced to piece together what she'd seen. These masked beasts—! She knew their kind, the corrupted remnants that sometimes wandered from forbidden lands. But they were lowly creatures, unable to cultivate or evolve beyond their form. For them to break through from True Profound Realm to Spirit Profound in mere breaths—
She felt it — their cultivation climbing higher and higher.
Spirit Profound… Second Level… Third—!
It was madness. Impossible.
And yet, the oppressive energy around her made it painfully real.
"Their power… it's rising just from devouring those bodies." Her voice quivered with disbelief.
It all made sense now — the corpses she'd found earlier, the beasts drawn here like predators to carrion. They weren't scavenging. They were feeding. The aftermath of Mihawk's battle had left behind a feast of profound energy in dead corpses— the perfect fuel for this nightmare.
The monstrous creature finished its evolution with a roar that split the air. Snow and dust scattered in violent waves as the massive being turned its glowing red eyes upon her.
For the first time in years, Chu Yueli felt true pressure — the kind that came not from power alone, but from something unnatural. Something that did not belong to this world.
She immediately raised her guard, her aura flaring like a winter storm.
The beast opened its gaping mouth, and a surge of dark energy gathered within — thick, heavy, corrosive.
"What now…?"
Chu Yueli's voice trembled, barely a whisper, as her silver eyes darted toward the monstrous figures ahead.
The largest beast tilted its masked head back, its jaws splitting open wider than seemed possible. Inside that gaping maw, a sphere of swirling crimson light began to form — growing, pulsing, devouring the air itself.
Her heart sank.
The pressure radiating from it was suffocating. Each heartbeat made the air heavier, the sky darker.
That's not ordinary profound energy.
The beast's jaw clenched shut, the crimson light flashing violently between its fangs. And then —
SHOO!!
The creature's mouth snapped open, unleashing a devastating crimson beam that tore through the heavens.
"—!"
Her instincts screamed. She twisted midair, her body flickering into snow and frost.
The beam shot past her like a lance of death, its sheer speed warping the air around it.
BOOOOM!!!
The explosion behind her erupted like a miniature sun. A mountain peak disintegrated in a storm of red light and pulverized stone. The shockwave slammed into her back, sending her tumbling before she stabilized herself in the air.
She glanced over her shoulder — and her heart clenched. Half the mountain was gone.
She turned back sharply. There was no time to be impressed.
Two more roars echoed through the sky.
Two more mouths glowed crimson.
"Not good…"
SHOO!SHOO!
Twin beams streaked toward her from both sides, each one powerful enough to level a sect.
With a burst of profound energy, Chu Yueli vanished, her form dissolving into a storm of snow. The beams crossed paths behind her, colliding midair and detonating in a cataclysmic blast that split the clouds apart.
As the shockwave passed, she steadied her breath.
"If those things reached the Asgard… our barrier wouldn't last an hour," she murmured.
The thought of Frozen Cloud's disciples — her sisters — sent a cold resolve through her veins.
"These creatures… cannot be allowed to live."
Her right hand tightened around the hilt at her side.
For too long, she'd carried it — his gift. A blade she'd yet to truly call her own.
The time had come.
With a slow, deliberate motion, she drew the weapon.
A whisper of steel cut through the wind.
Shhiiing—
Light flashed.
The blade that emerged shimmered in two tones — its upper edge black as midnight, its lower silver like moonlight on water. A single-edged sword, slender and curved, balanced perfectly for the dance of precision and grace.
Tachikaze.
Mihawk's creation. Her destined weapon that he made for her.
The contrast between black and silver flowed like shadow and frost in her hands. She could feel it — the weight, the balance, the faint hum of sword intent resting within. Unlike her old twin-edged swords, this one demanded mastery through flow, not force. A swordsman's weapon, not a warrior's.
Her lips curled into a faint smile beneath her veil.
"It's about time, isn't it?"
The three towering beasts reared back once more, their crimson maws igniting with power.
Chu Yueli exhaled softly, snow swirling around her.
She raised Tachikaze — and in that instant, her aura flared like a winter storm reborn.
"Mihawk…" she whispered, her breath steady despite the chaos. "I promised to use this sword for a good cause."
The blade pulsed faintly in her grasp — as if answering her vow.
From its edge radiated an invisible force, so sharp it seemed to slice through the very air, making it sing with a low hum that set her heart racing.
So this… is its true nature.
Below her, the beasts reared back, their jaws igniting once more with burning red light. The gathering energy warped the sky, pressing down on her like a storm about to break.
Yueli's eyes narrowed.
In the blink of an eye, her body vanished into a flurry of snow.
A sharp whoosh echoed as she appeared above the largest beast — Tachikaze already poised in her hands.
"Let's see what you can do."
She swung down.
Slash!!
A streak of light cleaved the heavens.
The blade descended faster than sight — effortless, graceful — and the monstrous arm beneath her simply fell away, sliced clean through as if it were made of mist.
For a heartbeat, silence.
Then, an explosion of black smoke and crimson ichor.
Yueli stared, awestruck. "This is…"
The severed limb crashed into the ground, shaking the mountain, but she barely felt it. The sword was impossibly sharp — and lighter than any weapon she had ever held. Even lighter than her Frozen Cloud swords. Every movement flowed naturally, guided by the air itself.
A faint smile curved beneath her veil. "Is this why he named it Tachikaze—'Severing Wind'…?"
She could feel the truth in the name — the sword was not meant to overpower but to cut through resistance itself.
Recovering, she lifted her free hand and conjured a storm of glittering frost.
Thousands of crystalline arrows materialized, shimmering like falling stars before streaking down toward the remaining two beasts.
The barrage struck their bodies, piercing through their black shrouds with ease. Holes riddled their massive frames, frost spreading wherever the arrows landed.
But the moment she withdrew her aura, their flesh began to writhe — wounds knitting, limbs reforming.
Her eyes widened. "They're regenerating… just like the smaller ones."
The detached arm she'd cut earlier twitched, then reattached itself with a wet snap.
Yueli's expression hardened. "Then, their weakness should still be—"
She vanished in an instant, reappearing high above the largest beast's head, her presence flickering like the glint of moonlight.
"—your mask."
Her grip tightened. Frost and profound energy gathered along Tachikaze's single edge until the blade gleamed in black and silver light.
She swung horizontally.
A crescent of icy-blue energy shot forth, carrying the full weight of her Emperor Profound might. The strike howled like a blizzard's breath as it carved through the air — slicing across the beast's mask.
SHHHRACK!!!
The sound of cracking echoed like glass shattering under divine pressure.
Half of the creature's mask split apart in an instant. Frost spread through the other half like a living thing, freezing the cracks and sealing its movement.
The beast's crimson eyes flickered — panic, pain, rage — before dimming beneath the ice.
Chu Yueli exhaled slowly, lowering her blade. Her aura shimmered faintly with frostlight.
"So… you share the same weakness," she murmured.
The sliced half of the beast's body dissolved into glittering fragments, scattering through the air like snow before vanishing completely.
Hovering above the battlefield, Chu Yueli exhaled softly and lowered her blade. The wind brushed past her veil, lifting a few strands of her brown-silver hair as she stared at Tachikaze.
"This sword… truly is a treasure," she whispered. "To think he gave me something like this."
The blade shimmered faintly in the sunlight — black and silver merging seamlessly like night and dawn. The profound energy pulsing from it was serene yet endless, as if it could slice through heaven itself. Compared to this sword, the treasures stored in her ring felt trivial, almost crude.
And unlike her old sword, this one was unyielding. Not a single scratch marred its surface.
Below her, the remaining two beasts roared, their voices shaking the broken mountain. The red light in their eyes burned brighter, and she could feel their auras climbing higher with each passing breath.
But then, she sensed it — multiple cultivators approaching rapidly from the distance.
Her brows knitted.
If they come any closer, these things will devour them… and grow even stronger.
The beasts' profound signatures were already climbing — sixth… then seventh level of the Spirit Profound Realm. Their power was climbing too fast.
"I can't let this continue."
Her form blurred into a streak of frost. The air froze in her wake as she reappeared midair, her voice calm and steady.
"Frozen Cloud Second Art — Ice Snowball!"
A glowing orb of condensed frost formed in her palm, swirling with deadly beauty before she hurled it down. The snowball expanded midflight, growing larger and larger until it slammed into one of the massive shrouded beasts.
BOOM!!!
The explosion blossomed like a frozen sun. From it burst a storm of glittering shards — thousands of ice arrows raining upon the creature.
The beast howled in fury as the barrage tore through its body, frost spreading rapidly along its limbs.
Yueli took the opening.
Her form vanished from the sky — then reappeared above the monster's head.
With a single breath, she raised Tachikaze.
The world went silent.
Then, one strike.
SHHRRAACK!!!
The blade sliced through the mask in one clean motion, severing it completely. Cracks spread through the white surface before the entire creature began to crumble, its body unraveling into a mist of black smoke and snow.
Within moments, nothing remained.
She turned immediately to the last remaining beast — the air trembling as its enormous frame hunched low. Its crimson gaze burned brighter, and a guttural roar echoed from deep within its chest.
Then, it raised a single clawed hand.
The air around it began to distort — rippling, folding, tearing.
Yueli's eyes widened.
Crack…
Reality itself split apart before her eyes, forming a jagged black rift. The very same kind of dark portal she'd seen countless times in reports — the mysterious gateways from which these abominations crawled.
Her pulse quickened.
"You're not escaping from me."
Her voice was calm, but beneath that calm was the quiet fury of the storm.
Chu Yueli blurred forward, snow swirling around her like streaks of silver light. In a single instant, she was upon the massive beast. Her blade moved faster than sight — a flash of black and silver — and the creature's arm was severed cleanly at the shoulder.
SHHHRRAK!
The severed limb fell away, dissolving into mist before it hit the ground. The forming portal behind the beast flickered violently, its edges collapsing under the disruption.
"Not this time."
Yueli used the creature's massive body as leverage, her slender form launching upward in a spiral of frost. Tachikaze glimmered in her hands, the curved blade trailing a faint arc of shimmering wind as she plunged it downward — driving it into the creature's thick hide.
CRUNCH!
The sword sank in effortlessly.
With a single smooth pull, she dragged the blade along its back — cutting a glowing line of frost from shoulder to spine before she vaulted off into the air.
She turned midflight, her eyes sharp as a winter moon.
"End of the line."
Her strike fell like a gust of divine judgment.
SLASH!!!
The black-and-silver edge sliced clean through the beast's mask. For an instant, its crimson eyes froze wide — and then the mask cracked, splintering into two perfect halves before disintegrating completely.
The portal behind it flickered once more… and vanished into nothingness.
Yueli landed lightly on the ground, the snow beneath her feet rippling from the shockwave of her aura. The battlefield was silent. Only the faint sound of wind brushed past the shattered stones.
She looked around — no more beasts, no more distortions, only the fading traces of dark energy dissolving into the air.
It was over.
Her gaze drifted to Tachikaze still gleaming faintly in her hand.
"To think… I've become this strong in just one day," she murmured, almost in disbelief. "If I lose control, even a single strike could end a life."
The power of the Emperor Profound Realm was overwhelming — intoxicating and frightening at once. Even with all her training, she hadn't realized just how vast the difference truly was until now.
Her fingers traced the blade's smooth edge. "And you… you're sharper than anything I've ever wielded."
The weapon seemed to hum quietly, as if acknowledging her words.
Then, softly, she recalled the words he once told her — that calm, deliberate voice echoing in her heart.
"Without strength, a sword is nothing but an iron bar."
She whispered it aloud, letting the phrase linger in the cold air. The meaning felt simple, yet deeper than she could grasp — a lesson not about power, but control.
She drew a quiet breath, steadying herself.
"Until I understand your words, Mihawk… I'll keep training."
With that vow, she gently sheathed Tachikaze. The blade slid home with a clean, satisfying whisper — a sound that carried through the ruined mountain like the final note of a song.
Snow began to fall once more, soft and pure, covering the battlefield where monsters had stood moments ago.
And Chu Yueli — the once cold, emotionless fairy — turned toward the distant horizon, her heart quietly whispering gratitude to the man who had changed her fate.
As Chu Yueli looked upon the shattered remnants of the battlefield, her expression softened. The snow fell quietly around her, dusting her blue robes as the last traces of dark energy faded into nothingness.
The mountain was still — the kind of stillness that only followed after immense destruction.
She knew why she had survived so easily.
It wasn't just her strength — it was his.
"If it were Mihawk…" she murmured softly, her silver eyes drifting toward the distant horizon, "…those creatures wouldn't have lasted a heartbeat."
She could still remember the pressure of his power, the way that black sword of his carved through heaven and earth as though the world itself feared its edge. If someone who could stand against Monarch-level cultivators were here, then even those massive beasts would have been reduced to dust with a single swing.
Even those five Emperor Profound disciples… she recalled the three ruined corpses she'd seen earlier, their crests marked with the insignia of the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region. The rest were gone without a trace.
She knew what that meant.
A faint smile touched her lips beneath her veil. "So you really did wipe them out…"
In a way, Mihawk had done her sect a favor. For months, Frozen Cloud Asgard had been harassed by envoys from the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region — men who cloaked their greed for the sect's beauty behind excuses of "alliance" and "exchange." But with their emissaries destroyed and their trail erased, those so-called sacred ground disciples would think twice before approaching again.
Thanks to him, her sect had been spared a calamity.
Her gaze lingered on the ruined mountain one last time before she slowly rose into the air, snow rippling gently beneath her boots. From above, she could see the endless stretch of the Blue Wind Empire beneath the soft veil of twilight.
The wind brushed against her cheeks — warm and cold at the same time — carrying with it the faint scent of pine and frost.
"He's safe… somewhere," she whispered, her smile faint but genuine. "That's all that matters."
Turning, she looked toward the far northern horizon — the direction of Frozen Cloud Asgard. The thought of returning brought a small sigh to her lips.
"Now I just have to explain all this to my sister…" she muttered, half-dreading the conversation already. "A week missing, a new sword, and a breakthrough to the Emperor Profound Realm. She's going to scold me again, isn't she?"
The thought made her chuckle softly — a rare sound from the once cold-hearted fairy.
She tightened her grip on Tachikaze and took one last look at the empty battlefield.
Then, with a swirl of snow, Chu Yueli shot toward the clouds, her silhouette fading into the pale sky — a lone streak of silver returning home.