Chapter 16
The cold breath chilled the skin, and the frost froze the body.
At the very front of the Heavenly Frost Sect group stood two men in more elaborately embroidered robes.
Both had black hair streaked with silver at the temples, and their faces resembled those of robust men in their prime.
None of the Masters from the other four sects could clearly perceive their cultivation level, nor did they dare to use their Immortal Sense to probe them.
From the ranks of the exceptionally burly disciples of the Heavenly Frost Sect, a relatively slender figure suddenly stepped out.
A graceful and enchanting fox spirit, bewitching enough to topple kingdoms and dig out a man's heart.
Strands of silver hair like white frost, a pair of crimson eyes like blood crystals.
A woman with white hair and red eyes walked out from between the two burly cultivators, taking her place at the very front of the crowd.
This woman looked like a maiden of eighteen, yet her figure was exceptionally alluring. Her face was stunningly beautiful, as if a celestial fairy had descended to the mortal realm, a snow fox had taken human form. Her icy expression did not diminish her allure in the slightest; on the contrary, it stoked the flames of desire in those who saw her.
From within the crowd of the four sects, someone couldn't help but exclaim:
"What a beautiful doll!"
Before the words even faded, she shot a glance over. The headdress of the young disciple who had spoken instantly froze over, and with a poof, it shattered into countless ice crystals.
A look of surprise appeared on the faces of the several Masters. None of them had expected her to come here.
No one knew her real name, but the title she inherited from her predecessor was known to all:
Sui Ri. The exclusive title of the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Frost Sect.
After the previous Holy Maiden ascended to the position of Sect Master, this woman, who had reached Nascent Soul Realm in mere thirty years, became the new Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Frost Sect.
It was said that when she broke through to the Golden Core Realm in the Extreme Southern Glaciers, she single-handedly fought four Profound-grade sea beasts, each on the verge of reaching the Earth-grade.
After a day and a night of battle, two of the sea beasts were dead and two had fled, while she broke through to the Nascent Soul Realm, and her name spread throughout the Carefree Sea from then on.
A genius of such caliber, why wasn't she cultivating in the Extreme Southern Glaciers? What was she doing here, attending the Plum Immortal Gathering?
To look after the junior generation? That didn't seem like her style.
A burly Master from the Blazing Fire Sect stepped forward a few paces, cupped his hands, and asked cautiously:
"Our sect is here to exchange pointers and learn from fellow daoists here. May we ask what business your esteemed sect has here?"
A ring of flame constantly swirled around him, its temperature so high that it was difficult for others to approach.
The two Masters standing beside Sui Ri had their eyes closed. One of them said coldly:
"Underneath this place lies a Frost Vein, which is perfectly suited for our disciples' cultivation."
"A Frost Vein?"
Hearing this, the Masters of the four sects looked at each other in dismay. Clearly, none of them had sensed any Frost Vein here.
But for the Heavenly Frost Sect to say this now, weren't they just planning to seize the location?
They were a renowned great sect of the Carefree Sea; were they really going to bully others with their power like this?
Their expressions turned grim, but none dared to be the first to speak out. Only the burly Master from the Blazing Fire Sect mustered his courage and said in a deep voice:
"Such actions are hardly befitting of a great sect, are they?"
Everyone knew that the Heavenly Frost Sect's headquarters was located in the extreme south, near the glaciers.
Everyone knew that place was very cold, and so were their temperaments, so they didn't like to talk.
Without communication, conflicts naturally arose easily.
Once conflicts arose, they would fight.
Gradually, they came to believe that fighting was more useful than talking, and so they disliked speaking even more.
Faced with the questioning from the Blazing Fire Sect's Master, Sui Ri's expression remained unchanged, and she did not open her mouth.
The two Masters beside her also did not speak. One of them opened his eyes and glanced at the man, and the flames around him vanished like a candle in the wind. He himself grunted and staggered back several steps.
The other Master flicked his fingers. Before anyone could react, a crack over ten meters long appeared on the vast, flat ground.
The original rock and soil had turned into crystalline ice powder, and a blast of cold air rushed out from the fissure.
There was indeed a Frost Vein underground.
The Frost Vein was indeed very suitable for the Heavenly Frost Sect's disciples to cultivate.
And they were indeed here to bully the weak with their power.
"Master," Fei Xing spoke up.
Yu Shuang, who was shielding him, shook her head at him.
After this display, everyone present fell silent for a moment, as if frozen.
Though unwilling, looking at the crack on the ground, they could only swallow their bitterness. Otherwise, who knew where the next finger strike would land.
"I was wondering who was causing trouble here. So it was you bunch of mutes."
A clear and heroic male voice suddenly drifted through the air.
A youth descended from the sky, wearing a dark blue robe embroidered with wave patterns.
He carried a greatsword on his back, his physique was robust, his appearance was dignified, and his eyes held a spark of light.
Though hidden in the deep sea, where sunlight rarely reached, he sought to bring clarity and righteousness to the world.
The youth's long hair flowed over his shoulders, his temperament was calm. Ripples shimmered along the greatsword on his back, and his thick brows carried an air of righteousness.
Yu Shuang subtly pulled Fei Xing back a few steps.
When Chang Yi saw the youth's attire, her heart skipped a beat, and she looked helplessly at Dan Feng.
Dan Feng patted her shoulder, but her own hands couldn't stop trembling.
First the Heavenly Frost Sect, and now the Abyssal Sea Sword Sect. These two major powers were not ones their small sects could afford to provoke.
The youth looked at Sui Ri and said:
"Causing trouble here, aren't you afraid that lunatic from the Eastern Emperor Immortal Sect will come looking for you? She's been restless lately. With the Plum Immortal Gathering starting, who knows how excited she'll be."
Sui Ri glanced at him and finally spoke:
"What's it to you?"
Unlike Yu Shuang's indifference or Guang Sha's ferocity, her voice was as cold as ice, making one feel chilled to the bone just by hearing it.
"Bullying the weak with your power. When I see it, I must intervene."
The youth said, raising his foot and kicking the sword on his back.
The greatsword flew up, spun a few times in the air, and landed in his hand.
Sui Ri said nothing, but immortal energy carrying an aura of frost had already began radiating from her body.
The two Masters beside her turned and led their disciples to a distance. Seeing this, the Masters of the other four sects immediately signaled their disciples to move away as well.
Yu Shuang grabbed Fei Xing and flew with him to the side of a rocky peak above them.
The center of the flat ground was suddenly left empty, with only the two of them remaining.
A surge of cold energy suddenly materialized around the youth without warning, splitting into more than ten strands that flew at him from all directions like flying swords.
The youth gripped his greatsword and spun it above his head. A sphere of watery sword energy enveloped him.
When the frost clashed against it, it exploded into glittering ice crystals and water droplets, sparkling brilliantly under the sunlight.
With a swing of the greatsword, the water sphere exploded, and the droplets surged like a tidal curtain that rushed towards Sui Ri.
Sui Ri leaped back several meters, raised her hand and struck out with a palm. The water curtain before her instantly froze, turning into a wall of ice.
The next moment, the greatsword shattered the ice wall. The youth, holding his sword, leaped into the air, the tip of his sword mercilessly pointing directly at Sui Ri's stunningly beautiful face.
Sui Ri chanted an incantation, her jade finger pointed into the air, and a layer of frost suddenly froze the tip of the sword, drastically slowing its advance. The further it went, the more frost accumulated on the sword tip, and its speed slowed even more.
The youth's eyes narrowed. Sword energy like crashing waves burst from the sword tip, continuously breaking the frost ahead. But that frost not only froze the sword tip, but also took the opportunity to turn into frost blades that stabbed at the youth.
For a time, as the two constantly shifted their footing, various techniques were unleashed. Frost blades and sword winds flew back and forth, making it difficult to see who was superior.
The techniques of the Heavenly Frost Sect and the Abyssal Sea Sword Sect had many similarities. Legend had it that they shared the same master, and their arts were mutually reinforcing and countering the other.
As expected, their battle turned into a contest of indurance.
Whether they would stop here or continue to exhaust each other's energy, no one knew what choice they would make.
But the onlookers could see that if this continued, it would be difficult to determine a winner any time soon.
Only one person didn't think so.
Almost.
Fei Xing sensed a small stream of immortal energy slowly circulating within Sui Ri, and then it suddenly accelerated downwards—
He hesitated for a moment, but still shouted:
"Be careful!"
Yu Shuang beside him was slightly startled, then a flicker of worry crossed her brow.
Down below, Fei Xing's shout caused Sui Ri's brow to furrow as well. At the same moment, a blade of ice suddenly appeared behind the youth!
She had quietly gathered a stream of immortal energy, sent it down into the Frost Vein, and then borrowed the cold energy from the vein to travel upwards, emerging from the previously split fissure and turning into an ice blade to stab at the youth in mid-air.
She had thought this sneak attack would surely succeed, but she didn't know which expert had shouted the warning.
The youth shouted loudly, retracted his sword to shatter the ice blade behind him, and flipped over to land to one side.
The two of them looked up at the same time.
To avoid their gaze, Yu Shuang reached out, grabbed Fei Xing's hand, and pulled him towards herself.
There wasn't much space by the rock wall. Yu Shuang leaned her back against it, pressing her body face-to-face against Fei Xing's.
Softness and a faint fragrance drifted together. Fei Xing felt the two full, soft mounds pressing against his abdomen, and his body reacted almost instantly.
It was not the work of the demon flower; it was a natural reaction.
Master Yu Shuang in his arms lowered her head, her expression unreadable. Fei Xing only felt her waist and legs seem to tremble slightly, her hands gripping his clothes tightly.
The two below withdrew their gazes. The youth looked at Sui Ri and snorted coldly:
"So you've started using these kinds of methods too."
Sui Ri ignored him, her gaze falling on the distant horizon, where a glint of golden light had appeared.
So she turned and led the people of the Heavenly Frost Sect away.
The youth also noticed the golden light and knew that the person from the Eastern Emperor Immortal Sect had probably noticed the commotion here.
To avoid that person coming to find him for a fight, the youth also left.
Before leaving, he cupped his hands towards the sky and shouted his thanks.
After the two had left, Yu Shuang immediately let go of Fei Xing, pushing him away from her. Then she turned her back and said in a low voice:
"Didn't I tell you, you must not reveal that ability of yours?"
Fei Xing lowered his head and said apologetically, "I just saw that man was in danger and couldn't hold back."
Fortunately, no one pursued the matter. Yu Shuang shook her head helplessly and brought him back down to the flat ground.
After this disturbance, cold air kept gushing from the fissure, and the disciples could not endure it for long, so the competition was called off then and there.
The four sects agreed to have another match when they had the chance and returned to their respective buildings.
A moment later, a figure appeared on the flat ground halfway up the mountain.
A woman in plain clothes shook her head, waved her hand, and smoothed over the fissure that was still emitting cold air. Then, sensing the lingering immortal energy in the air, she departed in a certain direction.
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