The fireball screamed downward, brighter than the sun, death incarnate aimed at Old Bai's broken form.
And then—
Ice.
A wall of glimmering frost erupted before impact, catching the fireball mid-flight. Steam exploded outward as flame met frost. The explosion shook the skies—but the barrier held.
The old man blinked through blood and pain. He saw a silhouette descending, her long robes fluttering like falling snow.
Eyes cold as winter.
She landed gently beside him. Not a single sound from her feet touching earth—only the whisper of wind and the hiss of vanishing steam.
The fire-wielding youth in the sky snarled, furious. "You finally decided to show yourself? I should've burned you to ash last time, the same way I did to the rest of your family."
She didn't respond. Didn't even look at him.
She turned to Old Bai instead and whispered, "Rest, I'll take it from here."
A thin shell of translucent frost enveloped his crumpled body. Both protective and healing. Then she rose into the air, slow and serene, like a snowflake caught in a windless sky.
The young man exploded downward.
A spiral of fire enveloped his arms, gathering into a massive flame axe. He swung.
She extended a hand.
A frozen shield materialized, shaped like a lotus. The axe met it with a thunderous clang—but instead of shattering, the shield absorbed the heat, turned red, then cracked and burst into harmless snowflakes.
The girl raised her other hand.
A hailstorm answered.
The sky darkened. Spears of ice the size of tree trunks hurtled toward the fire youth from all directions.
He twisted midair, incinerating the first few, but they came faster—more precise, sharper.
One grazed his arm. Blood sprayed.
He hissed and flared his qi, surrounding himself with a shell of flame. "Y—you've reached the peak of the star nourishment realm!"
He shot upward, gathering fire around him. A burning sun began to take shape above his head—condensed, heavy, ready to fall.
The girl moved her fingers.
The clouds above shimmered blue. The sun above him dimmed slightly.
He glanced up—then cursed.
The clouds were freezing.
The heavens themselves were freezing.
He dove at her again, fists blazing, cloaked in fire. She responded not with defense, but by moving into his assault.
They clashed.
Fire against frost. One descending and one ascending.
Her movements were fluid, almost dance-like, while his were savage, explosive. Each strike of his fists summoned waves of heat. Each flick of her wrists birthed frostbite and silence.
They traded dozens of blows midair, faster than the eye could follow. Her sleeves froze his arm. His elbow scorched her shoulder. Ice bloomed from her steps. Fire consumed the air he breathed.
And still, she didn't speak.
But her silence wasn't emptiness—it was judgment.
Every strike she delivered felt like a sentence. A verdict.
You are unworthy.
You are weaker.
You will fall.
The fire youth howled, "STOP LOOKING DOWN ON ME!"
With a roar, he detonated a firebomb around himself, blasting her back. She flipped midair, landing lightly atop a tree that immediately froze solid under her feet.
"You're nothing! You are merly a stronger slave compared to the rest. A bug meant to worship us your gods!" he screamed, veins glowing with molten qi. "I've mastered the Ninefold Blazing Star Art! What do you have?!"
She lifted her hand once more.
The sky cracked.
A spear of ice emerged from the clouds. Longer than a building. Sharper than a sword forged by gods.
She thrust downward.
The spear answered.
The fire youth flew upward, flames roaring to meet it.
They collided.
The ice shattered—so did the flames.
A shockwave erupted, flattening trees, shattering rocks, hurling bodies.
The young man was blown far away.
Below, both friend and foe took cover. The grandmasters paused their battles, watching the duel in awe.
The fire youth fell back, chest heaving. His robes were burned, scorched. Blood leaked from his mouth.
The girl landed lightly on the ruined ground. One of her sleeves was torn, frost creeping along her skin.
They stared at each other.
One panting with fury.
One calm as a frozen sea.
Then—he laughed.
A bitter, sharp sound.
"You're strong," he admitted. "Stronger than before. But this isn't last time. We planned for you."
The ground rumbled.
Adam, watching from the distance, narrowed his eyes.
Four streaks of light shot in from the horizon, moving impossibly fast—red-robed figures, masked, flying like comets.
The girl turned slightly, her expression unchanged.
The fire youth raised a hand.
"Do it."
Each of the newcomers halted at cardinal points around Bai Village, forming a perfect square.
They raised their hands together.
Crimson runes flared to life in their palms.
The air screamed.
A dome of blood-red light began to rise from the ground, covering the village in a matter of seconds. It shimmered like burning oil—beautiful and deadly.
The girl spun toward it, raising both hands.
Ice surged from the earth to meet the edge of the forming barrier—but it wasn't fast enough.
The red light swallowed the village.
Trapped everyone inside.
The temperature plummeted.
The girl floated midair, staring at the new prison.
The fire youth descended beside her, blood dripping from the corner of his lips. "Let's see how long your pretty little snowflakes last… when the real hell descend."
He snapped his fingers signaling for the four masked men to start channelling their power.
The crimson dome darkened.
The burning began.