Whoosh! Whoosh!
The biting wind was like a steel knife scraping bones!
The moment the white-clad figure appeared, the chill in the air surged, and goose-feather snow accompanied by the cold wind swept across, creating a fierce blizzard.
The Wudi Mountains, stretching for thousands of miles below, instantly transformed into a snow-covered jade dragon.
However, shockingly, the icy snowflakes were not white, and the Wudi Mountains, frozen for thousands of miles, were not covered in silver.
Instead, they were eerily black; the snowflakes were black, and the frozen Wudi Mountains were also black.
The eerie black chill made the already dark sky even more oppressive and gloomy.
Medusa, Yunyun, and the other three immediately narrowed their eyes. The newcomer was dressed in white robes, tall and slender, with a youthful face, appearing only a few years older than Lü Yu.
This person possessed a sinister aura that sent chills down one's spine. A black snowflake pattern adorned his brow, emanating a strange, chilling aura that seemed capable of freezing one's very soul with a single glance—utterly eerie.
The white-robed man stood with his hands behind his back, the black snowflakes falling from the sky swirling and whistling around him like loyal soldiers guarding their king—truly bizarre.
"Valley Master…Greetings, Valley Master!" Tian Shuangzi and Tian She were overjoyed. They quickly shook off their immediate enemy and flew backward, kneeling before the white-robed man and bowing respectfully.
"Valley Master…" Medusa, Yun Yun, and the other three's pupils constricted. The Valley Master of Ice River Valley?
Before coming, they had meticulously gathered intelligence on various forces in Central Continent. If they remembered correctly, this Valley Master, Ice River Venerable, had long ago been a Four-Star Dou Zun. He ascended to the position of Valley Master of Ice River Valley at the Four-Star Dou Zun level, commanding the entire valley. Countless powerful figures within the valley were filled with awe and dared not overstep their bounds.
If countless years had passed, the opponent's strength would likely have reached the five-star Dou Zun realm, making them incredibly powerful!
"This is troublesome..." Medusa's eyes narrowed slightly, and the veins on her jade-like hand gripping the longsword throbbed. This level of powerhouse was the strongest enemy she had ever encountered.
Medusa hadn't expected that Ice River Valley would even mobilize its Valley Master because of the Calamity Poison Body; this was highly unusual!
"Only the two of you are left?" Ice River Venerable looked around and asked calmly, "Where are Bing Yuan and Bing Fu?"
Upon hearing this, Tian She and Tian Shuangzi's faces twitched, unsure how to answer. They had come with almost overwhelming strength, thinking they could easily defeat the Calamity Poison Body, but they never expected to be killed by the opponent.
If their Valley Master hadn't arrived in time, not only would Bing Yuan and Bing Fu be dead, but even Tian She, a peak Dou Zong, would have perished.
The near-extreme wind attribute attack had already severely injured Tian She, who was poisoned and couldn't possibly withstand it.
"Pfft!"
The Heavenly Serpent's body trembled violently, and it spat out a mouthful of crimson blood, a mixture of gray and purple. Instantly, its aura weakened to the extreme, nearing its last gasp.
Seeing this, Venerable Ice River frowned, raising his hand to press on the Heavenly Serpent's head. His battle qi slowly surfaced, stabilizing its momentum.
"Damn it..." Tian Shuangzi's lips twitched, unable to suppress his anger. The Heavenly Serpent was "seriously injured," and the responsibility for the loss of personnel fell solely on his shoulders.
Sure enough, the next moment, a detached gaze swept over him. Stabilizing the Heavenly Serpent's injuries did not prevent Venerable Ice River from understanding what had happened.
"Reporting to the Valley Master..." Tian Shuangzi swallowed hard, forcing a smile, and said, "Bing Fu... has been defeated and killed. The Fallen Heart Flame burned through his body, and I'm afraid even his soul didn't escape."
"Bing Yuan was thrown into the mountains below, his fate unknown, but... I'm afraid his chances of survival are slim!"
"Oh, is that so..." Venerable Binghe said calmly, without any hint of blame, his tone completely devoid of emotion, like ancient ice.
Tian Shuangzi's eye twitched. He knew his Valley Master was angry, and once this matter was resolved, he would surely bear the Valley Master's wrath.
At the same time, the gray-purple poisonous gas on Tian She's face was slowly drawn away, gradually merging from the Baihui acupoint into Venerable Binghe's palm.
The grayish-purple poisonous gas slowly spread upwards along the pale, almost dead skin, merging into the Ice River Venerable's body. Slowly, a look of relief appeared on the Ice River Venerable's face: "This is the purest Calamity Poison Gas, truly captivating..."
Seeing his strange actions, Yun Yun and the others' expressions changed drastically. Even those in the Cloud Empire who had spent their entire lives immersed in poisonous battle qi couldn't refine and absorb Little Fairy Doctor's Calamity Poison Gas. How did this Ice River Valley Master manage to do it?
Medusa's gaze turned cold, a sudden realization flashing in her eyes.
Back when she sought to break through to the Dou Zong realm, she had two plans. One was to evolve through a different kind of fire. This method was not only dangerous but also difficult, as the rarity of different kinds of fire far exceeded anyone's imagination.
Fortunately, she found it; even more fortunately, after that, she found someone she could entrust her life to.
Her second plan was to cultivate the Acquired Calamity Poison Body!
The Snake-People tribe was skilled in snake venom, and the desert was teeming with poisonous insects and scorpions. Among their ancestral methods was a technique for refining the Acquired Calamity Poison Body.
However, the biggest drawback of this approach is its exorbitant cost. Acquired Calamity Poison Body not only requires a large amount of poison but also a vast amount of medicinal pills.
These include many high-grade pills of the fifth or sixth rank, and even seventh-rank pills are sometimes needed for better results. Even so, the aftereffects of acquired Calamity Poison Body are still significant.
For the Snake-People tribe, who were once trapped in the Tagor Desert, barely surviving, the money required to refine acquired Calamity Poison Body was enough to bankrupt them.
Not to mention acquired Calamity Poison Body, even innate Calamity Poison Body has terrifying aftereffects. Based on these two points, Medusa firmly committed to her first plan, painstakingly searching for the Strange Fire.
Now it seems that this Valley Master of Ice River Valley possesses an acquired Calamity Poison Body.
"No wonder Ice River Valley is so persistent, no wonder you need so many poisons!" Medusa's gaze turned cold.
Had she known this earlier, she should have wiped out that so-called Desire Immortal Sect, along with that so-called Ice River Valley elder.
"Hehehe, you've been discovered..." Venerable Ice River rubbed the black snowflakes between his brows, an uncontrollable gleam of excitement appearing on his face.
"Come with me, I promise not to kill your companions, and don't worry, I absolutely won't harm you..."
Venerable Ice River looked at Little Fairy Doctor and spoke softly, not at all like someone seeking revenge for a subordinate.
"Wishful thinking!" Little Fairy Doctor sneered, her snow-white hair flying wildly, a chilling aura surging forth.
"Yun Yun, let's fight together!" Medusa brandished her longsword, dense colorful lightning exploding around her, and shouted in a low voice.
Fighting this Valley Master of Ice River Valley, Little Fairy Doctor's invincible poison battle aura was useless, and even made the opponent stronger with each battle.
"Little Fairy Doctor, Zi Yan, cover for us!"
Upon hearing this, the three women's pretty faces showed slight surprise, but they did not object. Yun Yun's figure flashed, azure light flickering in the air, leaving a trail of afterimages. When she reappeared, she was already beside Medusa.
The two women stood with their swords drawn, amidst the roaring wind, flames, and seven-colored lightning.
"Alas, you two... you're always so unpleasant..." The Ice River Venerable smiled, shook his head slightly, and sighed, "Wouldn't it be better to just listen to me?"
Above his brow, black snowflakes flickered faintly. The Ice River Venerable raised his finger and pointed it lightly, pointing towards Medusa and Yun Yun.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
The swirling black snowflakes around the Ice River Venerable suddenly burst out, flashing and covering the sky like countless tiny, sharp blades.
"Wind Whirlwall!"
Yun Yun shouted, her hand suddenly forming a seal. In an instant, a howling wind arose, and a solid wall formed entirely of wind suddenly appeared before the two.
Countless tiny wind blades spun wildly on the wall.
Boom!
Black snowflakes crashed into the wind wall, instantly shredded into black powder by the wind blades.
Ice River Venerable smiled faintly, unconcerned. The eerie black slowly merged into the wind wall, gradually staining the azure wall black.
"Surrender, you are... um?"
Before he could finish speaking, Ice River Venerable's gaze suddenly sharpened. The eerie black on the wind wall was gradually fading, disappearing completely in the blink of an eye.
"Valley Master, be careful! That wind-attribute woman used some secret technique; she can actually manipulate the Fallen Heart Flame!" Tian She shouted urgently. He had just been hit by one of those attacks; if the difference in strength between them hadn't been so great, that attack would have been enough to kill him.
"Why didn't you say so earlier..." Ice River Venerable glanced at Tian She indifferently.
"Heh... fool..." A mocking smile appeared on Tian Shuangzi's face, realizing he had shot himself in the foot!
Tian She's face paled, realizing he had misspoke.
Rumble!
Thunderous sounds resounded, and Medusa's body unleashed a torrent of colorful battle qi, instantly forming a hundred-foot-long giant serpent.
The serpent's body was covered in hard, seven-colored scales that seemed almost tangible, and sharp, white fangs appeared and disappeared with the opening and closing of its mouth.
Boom!
A thunderous roar suddenly erupted, and seven-colored lightning burst forth from the serpent's mouth, tearing and trembling the space in its wake, roaring out with a destructive aura.
"Such strange battle qi." Binghe Venerable frowned as he looked at the seven-colored lightning, but... it was nothing special!
Whoosh!
The chilling black qi, like a giant dragon, snaked and roared upwards, instantly condensing into a ferocious black ice crystal dragon.
The black dragon snaked out, colliding head-on with the oncoming pillar of seven-colored lightning.
Boom!
The two collided, unleashing a vast ripple of energy that spread outwards, and dark cracks, like a spiderweb, spread in all directions across the space.
"Hmph..." Medusa let out a muffled groan, her body staggering backward.
"Eh?" The Ice River Venerable exclaimed in surprise. This Star Dou Venerable woman had withstood his attack without injury? How could her physical body be so incredibly strong?
"Interesting. It seems you are no ordinary person either!" The Ice River Venerable chuckled, a playful glint in his eyes.
He had originally planned to only take down the Calamity Poison Body, but now... taking down another one wouldn't hurt. He was quite curious, however, how this woman could withstand his attack without injury.
"Wind Push!"
Yun Yun shouted, and a violent whirlwind emerged from her delicate body, then snaked and roared upwards.
The hurricane stirred, scattering the biting cold air. Yun Yun let out a low shout and pushed with her delicate hand.
The gale roared, and the raging tornado transformed into a ferocious dragon, dancing wildly in the sky. Wherever the gale swept, it destroyed everything in its path, shredding countless obstacles and barriers into fragments.
A glint flashed in Yun Yun's eyes, and the invisible fire serpents swirling around her roared out, striking first and coiling around the howling wind dragon.
The wind fueled the fire, and the fire borrowed the wind's power!
The ultimate combination of strange fire and storm created a storm dragon surging with violent strange fire. Although the battle qi contained within it did not increase, its momentum surged several times over. The blazing flames shot straight into the sky, instantly erasing the icy aura created by the Ice River Venerable.
"Is this an attack that a four-star Dou Zong can unleash?" Tian She's lips twitched. Under this attack, even he, a peak Dou Zong, felt a sense of threat.
Perhaps it was because the Ice Venerable Force was countered by the strange fire, but regardless, this woman's terrifying combat power should not be underestimated.
On the side, Tian Shuangzi pursed his lips, a strange fear rising in his heart. These four women were all extraordinary. The Dou Zun had a powerful physique and sharp swordsmanship; he would only be defeated if he faced them.
The Calamity Poison Body was beyond question; its strength and terror were even coveted by his own Valley Master.
And that little girl, a one-star Dou Zong who could defeat a well-known six-star Dou Zong, possessed terrifying strength that was chilling.
And that seemingly ordinary four-star Dou Zong woman was even more terrifying. Although she cultivated the wind attribute, she could manipulate strange fire in battle; truly terrifying!
Even more terrifying was... what if they had someone behind them?
How powerful could someone be to keep all four of them from fighting?
"The momentum is good, but the strength is a bit lacking!" Venerable Binghe said calmly, waving his sleeve, and the ice crystal black dragon that had dissipated in the battle with Medusa condensed again.
A foul wind swept through the air, and a chilling aura once again permeated the heavens and earth.
Boom!!!
The Gale Dragon and the Black Dragon collided violently, a deafening roar suddenly sweeping outwards, shattering space, and the aftershocks exploded, violently pushing aside everything around them.
Yun Yun groaned, following in Medusa's footsteps, flying backwards.
The ferocious ice crystal black dragon shattered bit by bit, turning into countless ice crystal powders that fell from the sky.
"...Interesting!" The Ice River Venerable paused, the repeated setbacks leaving him with a feeling of amusement and disbelief.
"A four-star Dou Zong actually managed to withstand one of my attacks; I'm becoming increasingly interested in you all."
The Ice River Venerable slowly raised his palm, then suddenly struck out with a palm strike, unleashing a torrent of black Dou Qi, and four slender, supple black venomous snakes flew out.
"I've changed my mind. You four are all quite good, very interesting!" Venerable Ice River chuckled. "So... I want them all!"
"Hiss—!"
Four black venomous snakes shot out like lightning, instantly coiling around Medusa and the other three, binding their bodies.
"Don't even think about it!" Medusa roared, her battle aura surging, crashing against the black venomous snakes like waves.
"Don't waste your energy, you... um?" Before Venerable Ice River could finish speaking, he noticed a layer of purplish-black flames clinging to the black venomous snakes on the four.
Crack!
With a crisp sound, the black venomous snakes shattered instantly.
"Who!" Venerable Ice River's gaze suddenly sharpened as he looked around, shouting sternly.
"Ice River, is it?" A black figure slowly emerged from the void, looking at him calmly:
"Come on, translate for me, what do you mean by 'want them all'?"
Behind him, the four women's faces simultaneously lit up with wild joy. Finally, they'd found him!