Spirit Realm

Chapters 81-90

Chapter 81: Turned Around
"Huh, aren't these our friends from Nebula Pavilion? What have you found these past few days?"

Yan Qingsong suddenly appeared from behind a stone pillar. Once they saw Tu Ze and Zhuo Qian, they laughed and began teasing.

From the back, Yan Ziqian, Feng Kai, and Water Moon Sect's Na Nuo also appeared one by one, and they were all looking in Tu Ze's direction.

Tu Ze's group was behind a large green brown stone, and these stones were piled up into a tall peak. There was a narrow and long stone road in the middle of it.

The three Rank Two spirit beasts were a few miles behind these stone roads. If Yan Qingsong and the crowd wanted to hunt them, there were other paths; they didn't necessarily need to go through this stone road.

Yan Qingsong knew this, yet he still chose to walk this way. It was obvious that he did it on purpose.

Water Moon Sect's Na Nuo couldn't help but grin a little when she saw Yan Ziqian and Tu Ze run into each other again. She had a rather interested look and even signalled the sisters behind her to stop, putting on the appearance that she was going to watch a good show.

"Qingsong, how should we continue?" Feng Kai frowned and went out of his way to ask.

Yan Qingsong purposefully pointed at the stone path behind Tu Ze with quite the natural expression. "Behind them."

"Get out of the way!"

Wearing a cold expression, Yan Ziqian pulled the Ice Drake Sword out of its scabbard. The instant the silver white blade came out, a chilly atmosphere immediately spread out into the area.

A cold white fog flowed out of his palm, as if magically merging with the Ice Drake Sword.

Upon close examination, one would realize that inside the Ice Drake Sword's blade there was a very faint white mark that vaguely appeared in the form of a dragon.

Wielding the Ice Drake Sword, Yan Ziqian led the way and walked straight towards Tu Ze with a cold expression.

Feng Kai and Yan Qingsong, along with the martial practitioners from Shattered Ice Manor also walked forward, harboring malicious intentions while silently reaching for their spirit artifacts. Their eyes were filled with provocation.

This was because, for their last few encounters, they had held a complete advantage, so they all wanted to look good in front of the girls from Water Moon Sect. They couldn't wait to have another go.

"Sister Na Nuo, do you think they'll fight each other?" The gentle face of a Water Moon Sect girl emanated with excitement. "How strange. Both Shattered Ice Manor and Nebula Pavilion are just like us; vassal forces under Dark Asura Hall. In fact, they even stay in the same city, why are they so hateful towards each other?"

"I don't know whether or not they'll fight each other, but I do know a little about the other matter you're asking about." Na Nuo's expression was collected as she watched the opposing men approaching each other. Her thin long brows lifted upwards, and she wore a thin smile at the corner of her lips. "In the past, there was no Nebula Pavilion in Icestone City. Both the South and North City were both Shattered Ice Manor's. Mn, the old Icestone City was owned by Shattered Ice Manor alone."

The beautiful girls of Water Moon Sect behind her were all listening intently with slightly brightened eyes.

"Back then, Shattered Ice Manor was not Dark Asura Hall's vassal, but the Black Iron ranked Profound Ice Palace's vassal. Dark Asura Hall and Profound Ice Palace have fought each other for many years, but it finally ended with Dark Asura Hall's victory. Profound Ice Palace gradually declined, and since Shattered Ice Manor was their vassal, they were naturally paid attention to during the battle against Dark Asura Hall."

Na Nuo's expression had also turned serious. "Nebula Pavilion, created by Tu Ze's father, Tu Shixiong, was still a small town outside Icestone City at the time and was a small force that could not compare even to a Limestone ranked force. And yet, his achievements were outstanding in this battle. Through sheer force, he led his subordinates into Icestone City, and combining his strength with Dark Asura Hall's, they successfully destroyed Shattered Ice Manor's resistance.

"Seeing that Profound Ice Palace has declined and that they had no way of fighting Dark Asura Hall, Shattered Ice Manor had no choice but to surrender. Because of this, Tu Shixiong had obtained great merit, and so, Nebula Pavilion also ascended to become a Limestone ranked power. Since Dark Asura Hall was also worried that Shattered Ice Manor may still have been harboring thoughts of betrayal, they also allowed Nebula Pavilion to stay in Icestone City. And together with Shattered Ice Manor, they both managed this city that should've only belonged to Shattered Ice Manor.

"During the war that year, many people from Shattered Ice Manor were killed by Tu Shixiong. In addition, Icestone City, which originally belonged solely to them, had been split in half so Nebula Pavilion could build their sect. How can Shattered Ice Manor not hate Nebula Pavilion?"

Na Nuo tirelessly made the reason clear. "Therefore, during the years after that, even though both forces belonged to Dark Asura Hall, they have waged countless battles in the shadows, and this infighting has never stopped. As the number of deaths piled up, the grudge and hatred between the two sides grew deeper and deeper. I'm afraid even Dark Asura Hall has no way of resolving it now."

"So this is how it is." The girls came to realization.

"Well, it has nothing to do with us anyway." Na Nuo smiled casually. "Our job is to sit here and watch the show. Let them fight each other however they want. I just love to see people fight, and the more intense the better."

"Yeah, yeah!" The girl behind her quickly threw the grudge between Shattered Ice Manor and Nebula out of mind and cheered happily.

"Get out of the way!"

Holding the Ice Drake Sword and covered in cold white Fog, Yan Ziqian walked until he was in front of Tu Ze and had said that with a cold expression.

An icy-cold atmosphere leaked out from inside the Ice Drake Sword, and the dragon shaped mark inside the sword grew clearer and clearer, as if it were about to leap out of the sword...

Tu Ze felt pain from the wound on his chest starting to come back. He grit his teeth with a fearsome expression and breathed deeply , breath after breath, in order to calm himself down.

He suddenly closed his eyes to avoid seeing the taunting and insulting look on Yan Ziqian's face. He yelled softly, "Let's go."

He led the way and left the stone path behind him.

"C'mon!" with her head lowered, Zhuo Qian pulled at Han Feng's sleeves and forcefully pulled him away.

Han Feng's eyes were completely red as his entire body shuddered like a cornered beast. It was as if he would explode at any moment.

If it wasn't for Zhuo Qian insistently pulling at him and repeatedly whispering for him to calm down, it was most likely that this charming-looking Han Feng was going to attack out of sheer rage.

Kang Zhi and Chu Peng were also forcefully holding back their shame, and with a difficult expression, they lowered their heads and left with Zhuo Qian and Tu Ze.

-They had surrendered the very fruits of labor that they had found first.

"What a disappointment."

"Is this really Tu Ze and Zhuo Qian?"

"They're weren't like this in the past."

"No balls whatsoever."

"......"

The martial practitioners from Shattered Ice Manor did not forget to rub salt into their wounds and provoke them further as they watched them leave with cold eyes.

"How pitiful..." The girl called Little Sparrow from Water Moon Sect found the situation a bit hard to stand as she shook her head and sighed. "Tu Ze's realm is the same as Yan Ziqian's. If both sides do not use their spirit artifacts, their true strength is actually about the same. Sigh. Tu Ze's luck is a bit poor for sure, not having a powerful spirit artifact of his own. Otherwise, he would not have suffered such humiliation."

"I heard that Tu Ze has failed four times already, whereas Zhuo Qian failed three." Na Nuo made a tiny frown. "Their fathers must have spent a great deal of effort and owe multiple favors to have gathered the spirit materials for them. They really are unlucky to fail so many times. I guess they don't have such great lives."

"Speaking of having a good life, Sister Na Nuo is still the best for succeeding on the first attempt," a girl commented in admiration.

Na Nuo raised her eyebrows and pulled out a white jade ruler from her sleeves, proudly saying, "Your sister, Na Nuo, is where the fates truly lie. Not only was this 'Formless Ruler' of mine was created successfully by Master Lu in one go, he even said that this was one of his finest creations. Sometimes... luck is also an expression of strength!"

Na Nuo lightly waved her Formless Ruler, and it conjured layers of white ruler shadows that blurred everyone's eyes.

"Yan Ziqian's Ice Drake Sword is only a Common Grade Seven spirit artifact. Yet my Formless Ruler is a Profound Grade One spirit artifact! We are on completely different levels! Common Grade spirit artifacts normally can only be used until the late stage of the Natal Opening Realm. Once a person has broken through to the Manifestation Realm, then they'll most likely have to switch to a Profound Grade spirit artifact."

Pride flowed out of her expression. "When Yan Ziqian breaks through to the Manifestation Realm, his Ice Drake Sword will no longer be usable, for it will turn into a wall that restricts his true power. On the other hand, my Formless Ruler can still be used even after I break through to the Manifestation Realm! This is what you call a true difference in power. It is also why Yan Ziqian did not dare to provoke me!"

The girls behind her all turned incredibly envious upon hearing her words. Their gazes that were watching the jade ruler also turned passionate.

"Na Nuo, we can continue our journey now." From afar, Yan Ziqian turned his head. The coldness on his face was long gone, and there was even a warm smile on his face. "If the two of us join forces, then we can definitely defeat these three Rank Two spirit beasts. We will all gain a tremendous profit."

When he was facing Na Nuo, he appeared to be polite and humble. It was partly because Na Nuo was incredibly beautiful, but the most important factor was still the fact that her true strength was astounding.

"Sure, lead the way. Speaking of which, that was really disappointing. The two of you actually didn't fight each other." Na Nuo seemed to be feeling extra bored by the results.

"That's because Tu Ze has no balls."

Yan Ziqian chuckled and signalled Yan Qingsong to lead the way. On the other hand, he and Feng Kai stayed in the back and actively mingled with the girls from Water Moon Sect. With cheer and laughter, they departed to the deeper section of the stone forest.

......

When Tu Ze, Zhuo Qian, and the others gave away the stone path, they had gone to the opposite side. The crowd wore dark expressions and no one said a thing.

They had been quiet for the longest time.

"Woosh Woosh!"

An evil black cloud flew past their heads and floated towards the area they previously departed from.

They paid it no attention.

An hour later, Gao Yu had suddenly appeared. The Ogre-faced Ring on his hands was shining with a dark light, and a powerful mind wave emanated from it.

Gao Yu's face was dark, and his eyebrows were locked deeply together. Sensing the fluctuations from the Ogre-faced Ring while paying attention to the direction, he began heading towards the stone path Yan Ziqian and Na Nuo had walked through.

He saw Tu Ze and Zhuo Qian, but chose to ignore them and did not say a word.

"Gao Yu!"

Kang Zhi immediately lifted his head and called out after hearing the noise.

Zhuo Qian broke out of their depression and saw Gao Yu heading towards the stone path from before. They all frowned.

They were completely unfamiliar with Gao Yu, and because they heard that Gao Yu had tortured and killed a girl, Tu Ze and Zhuo Qian had even thought of him as an outcast and rejected him in their minds.

Gao Yu was originally an extreme loner in Nebula Pavilion, and other than Qin Lie, he had no contact with any people of his age.

Moreover Gao Yu was an extremely vindictive person, and anyone who talked behind his back would be beaten until they were severely injured - if it weren't for Ye Yangqiu protecting him, some of his more extreme methods would've been punished by the Discipline Hall long ago.

Tu Ze and Zhuo Qian had no good will towards Gao Yu, but Gao Yu was a part of Nebula Pavilion. Seeing that he he might run into Yan Ziqian and the others if he continued in that direction, Tu Ze quickly informed him, "Gao Yu, don't go that way. Shattered Ice Manor's Yan Ziqian, Feng Kai, and Yan Qingsong are all there. If you go there alone, you might be in trouble!"

Gao Yu's footsteps halted as he turned around and caught a glimpse of Tu Ze's eyes. His already dark face suddenly turned evil and fearsome to the extreme. "Yan Qingsong is also there?"

Back at Celestial Wolf Mountain, Yan Qingsong had lobbed off the head of his younger clansman, and since then, Gao Yu had marked Yan Qingsong as the one person he needed to kill regardless of the consequences. The moment he heard that Yan Qingsong was also around, his old memories began to resurface once more, and this caused Gao Yu's dark side to rise to its absolute peak.

Gao Yu's gaze made even Tu Ze and Zhuo Qian feel chills. "Yeah, Yan Qingsong is around. Both Feng Kai, Ya Ziqian, and a few bastards from Shattered Ice Manor were all in one group," Tu Ze answered.

"Noted." Gao Yu nodded his head. Then, he no longer bothered with Tu Ze and the rest. With a dark face, moving even quicker than he was before, he headed in the direction of the stone path.

"This fellow is crazy, right? We already told him that Shattered Ice Manor is right there, yet he's still going there to die?" Kang Zhi immediately yelled out.

"He's absolutely sick!" Chu Peng too wore a dark expression. "Who does he think he is? He's only at the ninth level of Refinement, what's he going to do there? Court death?"

Tu Ze and Zhuo Qian's expressions were also ugly; both were angered by Gao Yu's actions and thought that there was something wrong with his head.

"What do we do?" Zhuo Qian stomped her feet, and her beautiful face was riddled with frustration. "He'll definitely die if he heads in that direction. Yan Ziqian will never let him go. This guy is such a mad dog; how does Qin Lie know him?"

"He knows Qin Lie?" Tu Ze looked surprised.

During this time, he was either cultivating in seclusion or begging Great Master Lu from Dark Asura Hall to forge an artifact, so he really wasn't sure about what was going on inside the pavilion.

"Mn, Qin Lie is his only friend inside the pavilion, and the two of them often sparred each other inside the Combat Room. I seriously do not understand why such a smart person like Qin Lie would be friends with such a twisted person. When I get back, I'm going to give him a good lecture!" Zhuo Qian angrily said.

"Regardless, Gao Yu is still a part of Nebula Pavilion, and he's also Qin Lie's friend. We can't do anything about his head, but we cannot leave him to die." With a dark face, Tu Ze grit his teeth and said, "Let's go! We'll follow him!"

"Big brother Tu? You?" Kang Zhi was shocked.

They were just humiliated by Yan Ziqian and the others, and as of late, they had been avoiding confrontation with the other party as much as they could. When facing Yan Ziqian, they were pretty much staying away from them at all cost, yet now Tu Ze was going to ask for trouble just for Gao Yu's sake?

Kang Zhi could neither figure it out nor understand it.

But there was one thing he was sure of, and that was if Tu Ze went back and met Yan Ziqian again, he would not gain anything and instead only humiliate himself further.

They would also suffer losses along with Tu Ze, and perhaps they might even be injured once more.

"The worst that'll happen if we go back is are a bit more losses. As long as we keep up our guard a little, it should not be a big problem. At worst I'll just add another wound to my chest..." The corner of Tu Ze's lips were bitter. "But if we do not go back, then Gao Yu will definitely die! He is part of Nebula Pavilion, and my name is Tu! Those surnamed Tu will never allow anyone to murder a person from Nebula Pavilion and ignore it!"

Tu Ze turned back without any hesitation.

Zhuo Qian, Kang Zhi, and the others' eyes were all red, and without a word they clenched their fists and followed him closely.

They knew it wouldn't end well for them to go back. They knew they were going to lose. They knew they were going to be humiliated...

But regardless, they all turned around!

......

Chapter 82: Harsh Battle

At the center of the seven tall stone pillars, the stone ground was littered with holes, appearing in the form of a sunken valley.

Many odd-shaped stones riddled the surroundings, and there were the feces and hair of spirit beasts lying on the ground. It was obvious that there were spirit beasts operating in this area.

The sun hung high, and under the bright sunlight, a few of the valley's stone pillars cast shadows on the floor. Among them, there were three shadowy areas where spirit beasts were squatting underneath to rest while avoiding the sunlight.

They included a Silver Flame Spider, a Golden Haired Ape, and a Poison Scale Scorpion. They were all Rank Two spirit beasts, and their strength could compare to a martial practitioner in the Natal Opening Realm.

All three spirit beasts were several meters tall, and among them, the Poison Scale Scorpion's entire body was covered in a glittering poisonous green. A smell of acidic-poison surrounded its body.

The Silver Flame Spider laid on top of a web, seemingly asleep. The Golden Haired Ape had a full body of golden hair, just over two meters tall and brutal-looking golden eyes.

At a juncture so small that it could only fit two people side by side, Yan Qingsong's actions were careful as he poked his head into the open.

He explained in a soft voice to Na Nuo behind him, "A Silver Flame Spider, Golden Haired Ape and Poison Scale Scorpion are all here. They dislike sunlight and are all resting under the shade at the moment. Come and take a look." He quietly slanted his body so that Na Nuo could come up too.

Na Nuo went up, and after her bright eyes swept across the area once, she giggled softly, "Not bad, your information is very accurate. With our abilities, we can totally take all three of these Rank Two beasts."

"As for how are we going to split the loot, that will depend on who puts in the most effort," Yan Ziqian said from behind.

Na Nuo nodded once, then pulled out a white jade ruler and walked straight out into the open towards the the Silver Flame Spider. "I'll take care of the spider by myself. You and my sisters shall fight the remaining two beasts. That will be our arrangement."

While Yan Ziqian and Feng Kai were surprised, Na Nuo waved the Formless Ruler in her hands once, and almost instantly, the entire small valley became filled with a heavy power and the skies filled with countless ruler shadows.

All three beasts immediately noticed the danger and immediately got up from their shade. They were all roaring and growling before angrily rushing towards the group of people.

With a sweet giggle, Na Nuo's lithe figure fell like the wind right in front of the Silver Flame Spider.

"Whoosh Whoosh Whoosh!"

Many balls of silver flame floated from the spider's body like bubbles.

Not only were those silver-colored flames not hot at all, they were so abnormally cold that even a strange noise resounded as if the air itself was being frozen.

"Stupid spider, do you really think you can hurt me with that?"

Na Nuo's expression was relaxed as she suddenly threw out her Formless Ruler; the sky of ruler shadows carried within themselves a tremendous pressure. They then fell onto the Silver Flame Spider like a heavy downpour, striking it until it howled shrilly.

"That's indeed worthy of a Profound Grade spirit artifact; most impressive," said Yan Qingsong with admiration after taking a glance from in the back.

"Feng Kai, you and Qingsong will take care of the Poison Scale Scorpion. I'll help our friends from Water Moon Sect deal with the Golden Haired Ape!" Yan Ziqian yelled once and charged towards the Golden Haired Ape with the girls from Water Moon Sect.

Feng Kai and Yan Ziqian were both at the early stage of the Natal Opening Realm, so they wouldn't have too much of a disadvantage when fighting against a Rank Two spirit beast. Add in a few Refinement Realm companions to the mix, bombarding the beasts with spirit artifacts and techniques, wouldn't make it too hard to kill a Rank Two spirit beast.

Everyone had been operating around this natural stone forest for a while now, so they were getting more and more experienced in fighting spirit beasts. Once the operation had begun, the martial practitioner with the highest realm would fight at the front to attract the majority of the firepower. Those with slightly weaker realms would spread out and attack from both wings using spirit artifacts, techniques, arrows, and spears.

As a result, since the spirit beast was being attacked from all sides - it could defend the front but not the back, defend the left side but not the right - they would normally be injured all over and slowly exhausted until they were worn down to death.

This time, there were no exceptions as well.

Under the leadership of the young leaders, Na Nuo, Feng Kai, and Yan Ziqian, and the combined strength of more than twenty juniors, it didn't take them too much time before they physically blasted the three Rank Two spirit beasts until they were hurt all over. In the end the beasts collapsed to the ground.

"I took down the Silver Flame Spider on my own, so that one's ours for sure. You showed some effort on the Golden Haired Ape as well, so we'll just take its skin and the core and give you the rest. The Poison Scale Scorpion is yours entirely. Any questions?"

Na Nuo gave her opinion with a face full of smiles beside the three bloody spirit beasts.

Out of all three beasts, the Silver Flame Spider had the highest value and the Golden Haired Ape followed right after. The Poison Scale Scorpion was the lousiest of them...

Since she had claimed the Silver Flame Spider under her own name and demanded the Golden Haired Ape's fur and core, it could be said that she had reaped the benefits entirely. Smiling at Yan Ziqian, her smile suddenly turned gentle as she said in a coy tone, "You are the rich men from Shattered Ice Manor, surely you wouldn't haggle with us poor ladies, would you?"

Yan Ziqian and his group's faces shook a little before they all helplessly nodded their heads, accepting this way of splitting the loot.

"Then we are in agreement!" Na Nuo waved a hand. "We'll leave it to you guys to dissect the bodies, and once the spirit materials have been arranged, all you need to do is to pass us the materials that belong to us."

She turned her head and smiled proudly at her sisters in the back. The girls from Water Moon Sect also responded with smiling giggles.

"I knew that we wouldn't be walking off with much from the moment we came to you. Hehe, thankfully we weren't planning on that." Yan Qingsong wiped the spirit beasts' blood off his body and coolly inquired, "Once we've finished splitting the spirit materials, why don't we all drink a bit and celebrate later? Surely you won't reject our invitation?"

The moment he said that, Yan Ziqian, Feng Kai, and the rest of the martial practitioners from Shattered Ice Manor all looked towards the girls of Water Moon Sect in expectation.

-This was their real goal.

"No problem. I'm sure that my sisters would like to know such pleasing-looking fellows too," Na Nuo promised without hesitation.

The men's eyes obviously brightened, and their expressions were also excited.

"Alright boys, let's get the job done and we'll drink some wine with the sisters and talk about life or something," Yan Qingsong said in a pleased tone.

The Shattered Ice Manor martial practitioners immediately busied themselves in high spirits, and the little loss they suffered on the spirit materials had been forgotten long ago.

They did not notice that, atop their heads, a black cloud had floated over without notice...

There was not a cloud to be found under the hot sun, so when a black cloud had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, it appeared both strange and bizarre.

Columns of grayish-brown smoke, invisible to the normal human eye, began to float out of the bodies of the three spirit beasts. As if attracted by the black clouds, they began to slowly float, and without anyone noticing, slipped into the black cloud.

The black cloud was originally just as big as a disc. After a temporary stay, it had obviously grown larger.

However, the crowd from Shattered Ice Manor was filled with thoughts of getting to know the girls from Water Moon Sect better and thus did not pay attention to the sky nor notice anything amiss.

After a while, no more grayish-brown smoke was emitted the three spirit beasts, and the black cloud had also grown a lot larger.

At this moment, Gao Yu, who had been following the black cloud all this time, had finally arrived to this area.

The moment he appeared, both Shattered Ice Manor and Water Moon Sect's crowds immediately noticed and looked towards him.

"Gao Yu, hehe, what a coincidence." Yan Qingsong grinned with slightly chilly eyes. "Didn't you say you were going to kill me back at Celestial Wolf Mountain? I've been waiting for you to do that for so long, yet you never came. You disappoint me."

"Gao Family's Gao Yu." Feng Kai's face darkened. "The responsibility of my brother's lost arm at Celestial Wolf Mountain falls on you as well!"

"Yan Qingsong!" Gao Yu's handsome face was dark, and his eyes flashed with a dark and evil light. He was like a poisonous snake that gave people an incredibly uncomfortable and dangerous feeling.

Still, his main objective today wasn't Yan Qingsong. He immediately looked towards the black cloud in the sky upon arrival.

After Gao Yu had arrived, that black cloud too appeared to be alerted and quietly floated away.

"I have no time for you today. The next time we meet, I will kill you!" The moment he saw the black cloud leaving, Gao Yu's face immediately turned urgent and was about to hastily follow it.

"Hehe, do you really think that I will give you a 'next time'?" Yan Qingsong frowned. "I heard that you've broken through to the ninth level of the Refinement Realm and share the same realm as me now. I have always been such a coward and I never overestimate myself. I won't wait until you grow stronger where you'll become a real threat to me."

After a pause, Yan Qingsong suddenly leaped towards Gao Yu. "So, in order to prevent you from becoming a threat to me in the future, I believe I will feel much assured if I kill you first today!"

Yan Qingsong had always been famous in Shattered Ice Manor for his schemes and ruthlessness. He was a very careful man who would not leave too many chances for his enemies.

From the moment Gao Yu declared that he was going to kill him, he had been paying him attention from the dark. The moment he knew Gao Yu entered Nebula Pavilion and broke through to the ninth level of the Refinement Realm, he immediately felt pressured and saw Gao Yu as a target that he needed to get rid of sooner rather than later. Since Gao Yu had walked right into his lap, why would he ever let him leave so easily?

In almost an instant, Yan Qingsong had rushed over right in front of Gao Yu, blocking his way and seizing the initiative.

"You're courting death!" Gao Yu was worried about that black cloud, and the moment he saw Yan Qingsong interfering, he immediately felt murderous and fought him.

"God dammit, they're actually fighting! This crazy Gao Yu, didn't he see that they have so many men?"

Just as Tu Ze, Zhuo Qian, and their group hurriedly rushed over into the valley, they immediately saw Gao Yu and Yan Qingsong fighting each other. Fatty Kang Zhi immediately stomped his feet and yelled as he glared daggers at Gao Yu.

"Brother Tu, look, aren't these the three spirit beasts that we discovered?" coldly asked Chu Peng as he looked at the bodies of the spirit beasts on the floor.

"And here I was wondering why you guys suddenly left. I see now that you were planning to sneak in while we were weak. Tu Ze, you sure scheme well alright!" After a brief shock, as if he had just suddenly reacted, Yan Ziqian suddenly said with a cold voice and cold eyes, "Do you really think that we would have expended so much spirit energy on the spirit beasts that you would be able to gain the upper hand from that?"

The moment he finished, he rushed over with his Ice Drake Sword, yelling, "These people are here to take advantage of us!"

Both Feng Kai and the people of Shattered Ice Manor did not think that Tu Ze and the others were there to protect Gao Yu. They assumed that they were in cahoots in the first place, and they had also chosen this exact moment after they had killed the spirit beasts to appear. So obviously they were trying to snatch their loot after their strength had been expended.

Almost instantly, both sides had reignited their war and became involved in an intense melee.

Both sides had fought against each other several times and were familiar enough to know each other's opponents, so they immediately found their targets and began fighting.

Yan Ziquan versus Tu Ze and Feng Kai versus Zhuo Qian. Originally, Kang Zhi was going to fight Yan Qingsong, but because Gao Yu had locked down Yan Qingsong like a madman, he had moved on to a different opponent. Everyone else had their own opponents, and they began killing each other inside the valley.

"Sister Na Nuo, this..."

The girls of Water Moon Sect still hadn't digested the situation. All of a sudden, the people from Shattered Ice Manor and Nebula Pavilion were fighting each other, and they found the valley a mess.

"What does it have to do with us?" Na Nuo herself was stunned for a second, but she immediately broke into a smile. "All we need to do is to watch from the sidelines!"

Once they heard her words, the girls from Water Moon Sect relaxed. Giggling, they began to chatter excitedly while pointing at the fighters and making all sorts of comments.

"Sigh, the longblade in Tu Ze's hands still has holes from the Ice Drake Sword from the previous few battles. How is he going to fight?"

"From the looks of it, Tu Ze is still going to be at a disadvantage. Come on, that Yan Ziqian is totally relying on the advantage of his spirit artifact."

"Feng Kai and Zhuo Qian's spirit artifacts are about the same rank, but Feng Kai is older and he was in the early stage of the Natal Opening Realm for a long time. Zhuo Qian has only broken through to the Natal Opening Realm, and she's also not too used to the fighting style of the Natal Opening Realm. She won't have any advantage against Feng Kai at all. Yeah, it'll probably be just like before where she gets pummeled by Feng Kai. That's the reality of it. The two of them have quite the gap between them after all."

"Look, as I thought, both Tu Ze and Zhuo Qian are injured!"

"Oh! Look at that Gao Yu fellow, he seems pretty fierce! As for that Yan Qingsong... his bark is loud alright, but it doesn't look like he has the advantage, does he?"

"Gao Yu, I've heard about this person. There was a rumor that he's a little... psychotic. He once tortured and killed a girl."

"What, really? How disgusting!"

"Mn, he sure doesn't look like a good guy no matter how you look at him. If things don't look good for Yan Qingsong, then maybe I'll help him myself! Nothing suits that psychotic fellow better than death itself!"

Just like Na Nuo, the girls from Water Moon Sect stayed out of the way while watching and heatedly discussing the fight.

Tu Ze and Zhuo Qian were not Yan Ziqian and Feng Kai's match during the previous battle, and this time, they also didn't have the upper hand.

The crimson longblade in Tu Ze's hands had many holes in it, so during the clash against the Ice Drake Sword, he was at a complete disadvantage.

At this moment, three more bloody wounds had appeared on Tu Ze's chest. After the chill had seeped into the blood stain, the blood had even turned into bloody crystals. From the outside, his blood appeared very fresh, but only Tu Ze knew that, inside the wound, the chill was seeping into his chest bit by bit, causing him to feel cramped all over and gradually slow down.

"If my spirit artifact was created successfully, then how would I possibly suffer such a loss? Do the heavens mean to suppress me as well so I won't ever compare to this bastard Yan Ziqian?!"

With a hideous expression and bloody red eyes, Tu Ze clashed against Yan Ziqian, but his heart screamed in defiance on the inside.

"You damnable traitor, if Great Master Lu hadn't broken my Dragon Bone Whip again, I would have whipped your face bloody a long time ago!" Gritting her teeth, Zhuo Qian's beautiful face yelled furiously.

There were two new tight wounds on top of her snow white arm. The wound was shocking to the eye, and even her bones could be vaguely seen.

"Swoosh Swoosh!"

It was at this moment that the wind-like, sweeping sound of spirit beasts had come from afar, and very soon, a pair of gloomy Profound Nether Beasts abruptly appeared.

"We're here." Liang Zhong frowned and took a glance towards the valley. Then he said in surprise, "They're actually infighting, and pretty intense too."

"Brother Tu! Sister Qian!"

The moment the Profound Nether Beast stopped, Qin Lie also clearly saw the scenery inside the valley. His eyes instantly turned red, like a beast that had been enraged and became stricken suddenly with hysteria.

His handsome face became instantly filled with a color of irritation and madness. Even his body became afflicted with an odd shuddering.

-He recklessly rushed forth.

Chapter 83: Receiving the Blade!
Xie Jingxuan and Liang Zhong coldly watched the battle inside the valley from atop the Profound Nether Beast.

Tu Ze's chest was covered in fresh blood that looked like many red drills. After the blood drops had frozen, it actually emanated a strange and demonic kind of beauty, and when complemented with Tu Ze's slightly pale face, it appeared stranger and stranger.

A bright silvery line of ice wiggled inside the Ice Drake Sword in Yan Ziqian's hands, and a weak dragonic aura actually emanated from it.

While the Ice Drake Sword slashed across the air, there were many shoots of silver rays emanating from it that were cold and gleaming. Many of these rays of light were aimed at Tu Ze's neck and heart. Of course, if they hit these vital spots, then Tu Ze most likely would not be able to survive.

It was obvious that Yan Ziqian did not feel the slightest bit of mercy when he acted against Tu Ze. He was planning to kill Tu Ze on the spot!

Feng Kai was also the same; his entire posture bespoke that he was going to murder Zhuo Qian with each swing of his blade aiming to take her life!

On top of the Profound Nether Beast, the white dressed Xie Jingxuan frowned slightly as a trace of coldness leaked out of her pair of pure and translucent eyes. "Could it be that the infighting between our subordinate forces have all escalated to this state?"

She knew a little about what was going on inside Dark Asura Hall.

To preserve the energy of their subordinate forces, Dark Asura Hall allowed the vassal forces to compete with each other and tolerated physical conflict between them.

Only through conflict could a person get used to a cruel environment, and only then there would be more outstanding martial practitioners to provide Dark Asura Hall with combat capable fresh blood.

However, the infighting between vassal forces had reached a point where the only way to resolve the conflict was for one side to die out. Is this really what Dark Asura Hall wishes to see?

"Miss, not all battles between vassal forces are this fierce. Most of the vassal forces are still at a controllable state, and they would not engage in life-or-death battles." Liang Zhong could see that she was unhappy and hurriedly explained, "Shattered Ice Manor and Nebula Pavilion are a bit special..."

He explained to her the reason.

Xie Jingxuan's eyes bespoke of surprise, "If what you say is true, then the great animosity between Shattered Ice Manor and Nebula Pavilion has always existed. Then, why didn't the hall send anyone to resolve it?"

Liang Zhong gave a bitter laugh, "... Shattered Ice Manor is closer to the First Hall Master, whereas Tu Mo's father, Tu Shixiong, is a commander under the Second Hall Master. As you know, the relationship between First Hall Master and Second Hall Master... isn't too friendly."

"I see." Xie Jingxuan looked surprised, then let out a quiet sigh. "Sigh, so conflict does exist no matter where you go."

"Miss, should we interfere?" asked Liang Zhong, asking for instructions while watching the battle..

"Let's take a look first."

"Understood."

"Brother Tu! Sister Qian!"

Irritation and madness filled Qin Lie's face. Blue lightning entwined both his arms as he rushed over with a roar while holding the wooden sculpture in his hand.

"Qin Lie!"

"Qin Lie's here!"

"Why are you here kid?"

"Everyone in the battle was slightly shocked the moment they saw him appear so suddenly, and they all had a different expression of their own.

Yan Ziqian, who had fully gained the upper hand had his eyebrows unconsciously locked together and his gaze turned.

He remembered it clearly. Two years ago in the Arctic Mountain Range, Qin Lie had summoned thunder from the sky and forced him into a most humiliating situation, to the point that he had no choice but to take shelter for a moment.

Feng Kai and Yan Qingsong's faces too shuddered with an ugly expression.

A few months ago, on top of the stone bridge between Commerce Street and South City, the thick bolt of lightning had struck down from the sky and seriously wounded them. It took them half a month before they finally recovered...

Their memories about Qin Lie were as good as yesterday's, and just the same, they hated him down to the very bones!

On the other hand, Tu Ze, Zhuo Qian, and the others appeared roused. Their fighting spirit seemed to have climbed yet another level. It was as if Qin Lie's arrival had allowed them to see a chance at hope.

"Qin Lie! Go and help Zhuo Qian take down Feng Kai! I can still, handle this!" Tu Ze yelled.

"Don't listen to him, go help Tu Ze! He's almost at his limits!" Zhuo Qian, who had been dodging all this time suddenly yelled loudly.

"Pfft!"

While she was speaking, Feng Kai's sword beam had added yet another wound to her arm. Blood spilled out of it.

The sight caused Qin Lie to completely lose his momentary hesitation as he rushed over with grit teeth. "Feng Kai! I'll skin you alive!"

The electricity in the wooden sculpture suddenly brightened. The blazing electricity sparked and intertwined with each other; the faint blue electric lights were like swimming snakes, and they were even accompanied by thunderous sounds of explosions.

Every hair on the head of Qin Shan's sculpture was shooting out bolts of electricity!

They all rushed towards Feng Kai!

The moment Feng Kai, who had forced Zhuo Qian into a tight spot, saw bolts of electricity shooting towards him, his expression abruptly changed. He had no choice but to cope with it, causing the pressure on Zhuo Qian to drop immensely.

"Eh, who is that stupid looking kid who suddenly charged over? I don't think I've ever heard of such a person in Nebula Pavilion?"

"Yan Ziqian, Feng Kai, and Yan Qingsong... All three of them seemed to be somewhat afraid of him. What is going on?"

"Sister Na Nuo, do you know of this Qin Lie fellow?"

The girls from Water Moon Sect focused on the newly arrived Qin Lie when they saw the situation changed. They could not help but discuss among themselves in an attempt to understand Qin Lie's background.

"I don't know him." Na Nuo leaned against a stone pillar with the usual expression and shook her head. "He looks like he's from Nebula Pavilion. But I really haven't heard anything about him, so he probably isn't anyone important. Otherwise I would've heard something."

"Mn, if you look at his cultivation, he's only at the Refinement Realm, so no wonder Sister Na Nuo didn't know him."

"That's right, how can a fellow of the Refinement Realm possibly enter Sister Na Nuo's eyes?"

"......"

The group of girls chat kept chattering.

At this moment, Na Nuo's gaze had fallen onto Xie Jingxuan and Liang Zhong on the Profound Nether Beasts not far away.

She examined Xie Jingxuan and Liang Zhong from head to toe and felt shaken on the inside. Her eyes too leaked a trace of surprise as it seemed she noticed that they were far from ordinary.

She quickly retracted her gaze and no longer spoke, but a trace of seriousness had added itself onto her expression, and she did not continue to laugh and comment about the battle.

"The last time you were saved only because lightning had struck down from the sky. You won't be this lucky this time!" Feng Kai relaxed a little when he lifted his head and saw the sun shining from above.

Then, light bloomed greatly from his silver sword, and his attacks were as tight as fine rain, landing endlessly around Qin Lie and Zhuo Qian.

In Qin Lie and Zhuo Qian's eyes, it was as if there was silver drizzle pouring down beside them, and every one of these strands of rain were as sharp as a blade. The slightest bit of carelessness would result in terrible wounds.

Luckily, the wooden sculpture in Qin Lie's hand had formed a large area of electricity.

The intertwining electricity formed a thick and tight barrier, and the moment a sword beam got in, it was immediately destroyed by a lightning strike.

It was due to this factor that he and Zhuo Qian had not fallen into a disadvantageous position and looked like they were fighting equally against Feng Kai.

But Tu Ze was not that lucky...

"Spurt!"

The blade of the Ice Drake Sword had taken off a piece of flesh from his left shoulder. If he hadn't dodged it in time, it would have fallen onto his neck!

And if that was the case, the artery on his neck would've been slashed open, and Tu Ze too would die a brutal death on the spot.

While Tu Ze was frightened to the core, a huge hole on the crimson longblade was cut once again by the Ice Drake Sword.

"Crack!"

The overwhelmed longblade had finally broken into two, and there was no longer any trace of spirit energy fluctuation to be found.

"Even your spirit artifact has been destroyed. Just how are you going to fight me?" Yan Ziqian's expression was dark and cold, "The longblade may not be too suitable for you, but at least it was still usable. But what about now?"

While he was speaking, his eyes began to roll about the surroundings to see if there was anyone from Dark Asura Hall.

He did not see anyone from Dark Asura Hall inside the stone forest. Instead, he found Xie Jingxuan, and his eyes obviously lit up for an instant due to surprise at her beauty. But it was only for an instant. He came to his senses, and eyes brimming with murderous intent, he spoke in a low tone, "There is no one from Dark Asura Hall here. Therefore, you will die here today, Tu Ze..."

"I'm right here. Come at me!" Tu Ze's heart was already filled with the intention to die as he growled and prepared himself to fight like a cornered beast.

"Qin Lie, go and help Tu Ze quickly! He can't take it anymore!" Zhuo Qian heard their words, and her body shuddered once as her eyes immediately teared up. She screamed out as if she had gone mad, and her voice carried a weeping tone, "Tu Ze, don't be stupid! You better f*cking stay alive, don't you dare throw your life away!"

"Sister Na Nuo, this isn't right! Th-they're really going to kill them!"

"They have gone completely mad! This is a real fight to the death, not an argument and not a normal conflict!"

"Dark Asura Hall had strictly prohibited this!"

"What do we do? Sister Na Nuo, what do you say we should do?"

Originally, the girls from Water Moon Sect were all smiling on the sidelines and watching a good show. But now their faces had paled, and one by one, they screamed in panic.

At this moment, Tu Ze, Zhuo Qian, and the people from Nebula Pavilion were completely covered in blood. In addition, Yan Ziqian and Feng Kai had displayed a clear intention of murder!

This fight was now completely different from what they had initially imagined, and it had completely exceeded their imaginations!

"Stop screaming! All of you, stop screaming and do not interfere! Calm down, all of you, and do not make a move!" Na Nuo's usual smile was gone, and her expression was completely serious as she shouted sternly at her companions to stay where they were and forbade them from interfering.

She knew very well that this was not the time for them to fiddle about, and once they triggered an unnecessary misunderstanding, then even they might be dragged into the fray.

"Big Brother Tu! Don't lose hope! You mustn't throw your life away, it is not worth it!"

"Big brother Tu! Endure it, just endure for now; you're the one who said these words! The next time, when you've gotten your spirit artifact the next time, you will definitely be able to exact your revenge!"

"Don't be hasty!"

Kang Zhi, Chu Peng, Han Feng, and the rest all roared as every one of them struggled like a madman, not even caring for the new wounds on their body as they desperately fought their way towards Tu Ze's direction.

"Spirit artifact? Spirit artifact! The spirit artifacts that I've brought with me!"

Qin Lie, who had blood rushing up his head and was ready to charge towards Tu Ze to fight with his life, suddenly came to his senses and immediately recalled the main reason he had come here in the first place.

-He was here to deliver the spirit artifacts to Tu Ze and Zhuo Qian.

Abruptly, he forced himself to calm down and looked towards Liang Zhong, and with the loudest voice he could muster, he roared, "Uncle Zhong, please throw over the items wrapped inside the oilcloth! Please!"

The distance between him and Liang Zhong was only less than a hundred meters, but Tu Ze's situation was so critical that he might be killed in the next second.

He had no time to rush back and forth to grab the items.

But he knew that, as long as Liang Zhong was willing, a hundred meters of distance was not a problem at all!

That was why he begged with all his heart!

"What do you think, miss?" Liang Zhong looked baffled. To this day, he did not know what was wrapped inside the oilcloth, so he did not understand Qin Lie's impatience.

"Give it to him," Xie Jingxuan said indifferently.

She too did not know what was wrapped inside the oilcloth, and she was equally curious as to why, at this critical juncture, when Tu Ze was about to be killed, Qin Lie still remembered the items inside the oilcloth.

What could they be?

She wanted to see.

Therefore, Liang Zhong obeyed.

Liang Zhong extended his hands and grabbed the oilcloth, and with a casual toss, the cloth became wrapped inside a layer of blue light and crossed the hundred meters of distance in just two seconds. It flew like the wind before landing steadily on top of Qin Lie head.

Right into his hands.

When he tore open the oilcloth, two fine-looking spirit artifacts were abruptly exposed. It was a longblade and the Dragon Bone Whip; they were exactly the "defective products" he had asked for from Tu Ze and Zhuo Qian.

"Sister Qian, take this Dragon Bone Whip. I'll bring this blade to Big Brother Tu!"

Qin Lie pulled out the Dragon Bone Whip and took the opportunity to wrap the whip around her snake-like waist when she dodged backwards abruptly. Then, he carried the longblade and charged at top speed.

"Qin Lie, it's no use. That blade is defective! It's not even a spirit artifact and can't even compare to that broken blade!" Zhuo Qian shouted.

However, that was all she could shout before she was immediately pressured by Feng Kai to the point of speechlessness - after Qin Lie left, the pressure on her had increased tremendously, and she fell into a completely disadvantageous position.

"Big Brother Tu! I'm giving you a new blade!"

Qin Lie rushed forth and threw the longblade from far, far away at Tu Ze, who was covered in blood droplets.

Those blood droplets were fresh blood frozen in ice, crystalline and demonically strange, and they were but the cruelest representation of his horrific injuries!

"This is the blade Great Master Lu created for you?" when Yan Ziqian saw the longblade flew over, he actually did not go on the offensive to stop Tu Ze from receiving the blade. In fact, he even slowed down his attacks and allowed Tu Ze to grab it. His cold face was full with ridicule. "Only a failed spirit artifact can properly complement your current situation. Die along with that defective weapon of yours."

The bladeless Tu Ze, with the thought that it's better to have a weapon in hand than nothing at all, extended his hand and received the blade.

The moment the longblade entered his hands, the feeling that his blood had connected with it suddenly leaped into his heart!

It was as if the blade had become a part of his body, the extension of his arm, a part of his four limbs!

It was the impossible feeling of an artifact, the palm, the arm, and the flesh and blood itself melding together in perfect harmony!

Throughout his life, Tu Ze had played with tens of spirit artifacts of different grades, but never once had he experienced such a sublime feeling!

Under the spell of surprise, he activated the Nebula Art and injected it into the longblade.

The very next moment, Tu Ze's body abruptly shuddered greatly, and a most breathtaking light exploded out of his eyes!

Chapter 84: The Heavens Haven't Forsaken Me!
Very solemn expressions emerged on the pretty faces of Na Nuo and the girls from Water Moon Sect, a few of them unable to bear looking at Tu Ze.

Tu Ze, who was fatigued and whose body had been covered in wounds, seemed unable to continue on any longer. In their eyes, Tu Ze was going to end up just like his fractured longblade, broken into two by Yan Ziqian.

Xie Jingxuan and Liang Zhong, the two who were sitting atop the Profound Nether Beast, were also looking towards Tu Ze and at the longblade in his hand from afar...

At this moment, Kang Zhi, Han Feng, Chu Peng, and the rest, regardless of how many bone-showing deep wounds they had, all desperately moved to Tu Ze's side.

They hoped to restrain Tu Ze and advise him not to act stupid, to not risk his life against Yan Ziqian.

As for Zhuo Qian, she had been forced into a corner by Feng Kai's attacks, unable to even find time to shout.

"Don't die! Please don't die!"

She could only think in her heart, crying over and over again as she hoped Tu Ze would calm down and not charge in recklessly.

At this time, a breathtaking glint appeared in the eyes of Tu Ze, who had borrowed a new blade from Qin Lie!

One fragmentary little star of light after another magically emerged from the illuminated surface of the longblade. A glow flickered within each star of light, following some kind of pattern as it revolved like a nebula within the vastness of a galaxy. It gave off a feeling of an extremely marvelous, mind-shocking, soul-moving beauty.

As Tu Ze wielded the longblade his body constantly tremored. Suddenly, hot tears filled his eyes as he roared towards the sky, "The heavens haven't forsaken me! The heavens haven't forsaken me!"

Everyone's gazes and attention were all on Tu Ze's body. As they watched him lose control of his emotions, they had no clue what had happened.

However, it was just for a moment. Then, everyone's became startled as shock and fear emerged in their eyes.

A awe-inspiring aura emanated off of Tu Ze's body as the longblade in his hand suddenly became blindingly bright!

A mysterious mass of nebula light flew up from the blade of the longblade. Like a fallen galaxy, tiny starlights flickered and constantly revolved within the mass of nebula light. From within, surging, tempestuous spirit energy fluctuations burst out.

"Shh Shh Shh!"

The crystals of blood which encrusted Tu Ze's entire body were instantly all washed away by an ice cold power. The beads of blood turned into a river of blood, trickling down Tu Ze's body like fine streams.

At this moment, Tu Ze's appearance was extremely terrifying, and his aura had reached its limit!

"The heavens haven't forsaken me!"

Tu Ze raised his blade and cut at Yan Ziqian.

As the blade moved, the mysterious mass of nebula light turned into a brilliant ball of light. Carrying the shocking strength of a landslide, it began to spin and roll towards Yan Ziqian like a huge boulder.

Atop Yan Ziqian's sinister face, a trace of fear appeared for the first time. He had no clue what had just happened with Tu Ze's body, but as of right now, the feeling Tu Ze was giving off caused him to feel immense danger!

Bright silver colored lines of ice appeared after another from the Ice Drake Sword as the air in front of him became densely packed with cold air. The strands of ice seemingly entered that space and divided the space into numerous fragments.

Afterwards, the mass of nebula light, which was in the shape of a ball, that mysterious, revolving nebula mass, entered that space. Like a millstone, it grinded all of the silver strands into bits and pieces!

Every strand of silver ice was ripped and torn asunder!

"Whoosh!"

A group of sacred, pure white, starlights suddenly shot out of the nebula mass, penetrated through the fragmented strands of silver ice, and reached Yan Ziqian's chest.

"Splurt!"

A bloody hole the size of a thumb appeared Yan Ziqian's chest, spurting blood.

Yan Ziqian looked down, staring at the bloody hole as a look of shock emerged on his face. It seemed as if he hadn't realized what had happened, as if he hadn't yet felt the pain...

The next moment, a miserable, tragic cry emitted from his mouth.

This was the first time Tu Ze had injured him!

During the countless times the two had fought within the stone forest, it had always been him inflicting injuries on Tu Ze as he pleased.

Tu Ze had only been able to passively endure, never able to leave a single mark on Yan Ziqian's body!

But today, right when Tu Ze was on the brink of death - who knew if it was due to some sudden flashback or some sudden grace of the heavens - Tu Ze's aura had suddenly erupted as if he had finally become able to unleash the most profound mystery of the Nebula Art!

This was the first time, the first time that Tu Ze had left a wound on his chest, and it was one which caused him to uncontrollably cry in misery!

"Qin Lie!"

After his strike, Tu Ze didn't take the opportunity to go for the kill; instead he suddenly backed off. Tears appeared within his fierce eyes as he stared at the person behind him.

The emotions which exuded out from his eyes caused everyone else to look as well!

Qin Lie had no clue what to say, and he could only deeply nod at Tu Ze as he grit his teeth and clenched his fist, making a fierce hammering gesture.

"Good! Good brother! Haha!" Tu Ze understood, suddenly opening his mouth and laughing wildly as he growled, "I'll beat that bastard to death!"

He immediately raised his longblade, and the aura around his body shimmered like a rainbow which carried some starlight as he once again attacked Yan Ziqian.

As the longblade moved, masses of nebula light continuously condensed and emerged from within the blade. Those masses of nebula radiance were like balls of light and were all under Tu Ze's command!

One ball of light after another condensed from the surging spirit energy, each one containing nebula essence and revolving, glowing, stars. They surrounded Yan Ziqian and endlessly circled around him.

When the silver colored strand of ice, which shot out of the Ice Drake Sword, collided with a ball of light, the strand would instantly shatter.

The Ice Drake Sword had been completely repressed!

"Th-this is?"

"How could it be like this?"

"Just now, Tu Ze was on the brink of death, why is it like this?"

"I don't understand, I completely don't understand! Too abnormal, this in its entirety is too abnormal!"

The eyes of the girls of Water Moon Sect all opened wider as they watched Tu Ze and Yan Ziqian's fight. They saw Tu Ze suddenly demonstrate great power, forcing Yan Ziqian into a corner and bombarding him as Tu Ze left one fresh wound after another on Yan Ziqian's body.

They were unable to fathom what had happened and had no way to find out.

"There is only one explanation."

Na Nuo's pretty face showed some surprise as her eyes wandered onto not Yan Ziqian nor Tu Ze but...

She looked at Qin Lie!

"That new longblade is incredibly suited for Tu Ze. It truly can brilliantly display all of the incredible power of his Nebula Art! The grade of that blade must surpass that of the Ice Drake Sword's, and thus, Tu Ze's power was able to instantly rise to new heights!" exclaimed Na Nuo.

"Eh? This, how could this be? Wasn't Tu Ze's new blade damaged during forging?"

"That's right, how could a defective product be so powerful?"

"It's definitely not like that!"

"Defective product?" Na Nuo narrowed her eyes as her expression became perplexed. "The grade of that blade is definitely the same as my Formless Ruler! If a spirit artifact of this level of was considered a damaged product, then the spirit artifacts that you all use would be considered scrap metal!"

After this remark was made, all of the girls of Water Moon Sect showed looks of horror.

Also, at this very moment, their eyes finally shifted from the bodies of Tu Ze and Yan Ziqian onto Qin Lie's...

"Miss." The eyes of Liang Zhong, who was seated atop the Profound Nether Beast, also brightened as he looked towards the longblade within Tu Ze's hand, nodding as he said, "That spirit artifact was able to greatly increase Tu Ze's power, as if it was made just for him, as if it was specially forged to coordinate with his spirit art. Even its quality is of a higher grade. It seems it is stronger than that ice sword by a bit."

"Mn." Xie Jingxuan was shocked as she inwardly nodded.

"Big Brother Tu! Big Brother Tu, are you okay?"

"Eh?! What happened? Big Brother Tu has gone mad?"

"He turned the tide? Heavens! I wasn't seeing things, right?"

"......"

Kang Zhi, Han Feng, and Chu Peng finally regained their senses, each one beginning to clamor as they looked excitedly at one another.

On the other end, Zhuo Qian also became excited. Suddenly, a sword sliced across her leather chestplate, sending a piece of leather flying and baring a part of her satiny, white breasts.

Feng Kai snorted, acting like he didn't see anything, his heart like iron ore as he continued to try and take her life with his sword.

"Qin Lie, don't come over here! Quickly, go and help Zhuo Qian!" shouted Tu Ze without turning around. He was circling and bombarding Yan Ziqian, his longblade condensing new masses of light every once in a while.

Qin Lie suddenly reacted, quickly looking over at Zhuo Qian. He immediately discovered the precarious situation she was in.

Afterwards, he didn't immediately move, instead shouting to Zhuo Qian, "Sister Qian, test out your new Dragon Bone Whip around your waist. Perhaps... you will like it!"

Previously, he didn't dare to presume that the longblade would truly suit Tu Ze. Thus, when he gave it to Tu Ze, he had also been intently observing, ready to jump in at any moment to help Tu Ze block Yan Ziqian's attacks.
He had felt uneasy in his heart, afraid that the spirit diagram that he had repaired would be unable to release the power of a spirit artifact and make Tu Ze's circumstances even worse.

-After all, he had no experiences in this matter.

But now, after seeing Tu Ze's result, he realized that the effects of the spirit artifact after he repaired its spirit diagram... weren't that bad.

Thus, he believed that the Dragon Bone Whip also shouldn't be that poor and could possibly help Zhuo Qian. That was why he shouted this time.

"Zhuo Qian! Listen to Qin Lie!" leisurely shouted Tu Ze in a loud voice.

"My new Dragon Bone Whip..."

On her end, Zhuo Qian retreated another bit, taking the opportunity to grab the Dragon Bone Whip that Qin Lie had wrapped around her waist."

The moment her hand touched it, Zhuo Qian's eyes lit up with surprise. In her heart, she suddenly had a feeling - that this new Dragon Bone Whip was created for her! It existed entirely for her!

This feeling was extremely powerful! It was powerful to the point that Zhuo Qian almost immediately threw away the old Dragon Bone Whip!

She immediately pulled out the new Dragon Bone Whip from her hip. The instant that the whip was snapped, it was as if it had suddenly turned into a soaring wind dragon!

"Whoosh whoosh!"

The whip moved with the wind, condensing a thick layer of wind atop its body, forming a wind barrier, transforming into a twisting wind dragon.

The wind dragon was interlinked with Zhuo Qian and flew perfectly according to Zhuo Qian's mental orders. It was able to perfectly display the spirit art which she had cultivated!

Wielding the Dragon Bone Whip, she had the wonderful feeling of another hand holding her own. This feeling was incomparable and felt too good to be true.

"This... this is the spirit artifact that I've been dreaming for!"

Zhuo Qian let out a great whoop in her mind, excited to the point that her body slightly shivered. Her eyes began to glow with light as her aura instantly increased by a level.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"

An intelligent, twisting wind dragon that was a few meters long weaved around Zhuo Qian, making various biting moves in Feng Kai's direction.

Feng Kai suddenly felt as if the wind resistance around him had suddenly increased a level as the range for his actions became smaller and smaller. His movement became increasingly restricted, as if he were trying to rush through a fierce gale. He was pressured by the wild wind to the point where everything he did felt uncomfortable.

"Shoo shoo shoo!"

A sharp blade of wind suddenly shot out from within the Dragon Bone Whip, rustling up a shocking whistle in the air as it grazed Feng Kai's abdomen.

"Splurt!"

Atop Feng Kai's lower abdomen, a long wound that exposed his bones suddenly appeared.

"Feng Kai! Go to hell!"

Zhuo Qian who had previously been backed into a corner and seemed about to collapse with her body full of wounds, suddenly began to shout wildly as if she had become a completely different person. Her body overflowed with a shocking vitality.

......

Chapter 85: Reversal!

The tides had suddenly turned within the valley!

Before Qin Lie had arrived, Tu Ze and Zhuo Qian were being beaten black and blue. Kang Zhi, Han Feng, Chu Peng, and the rest were also in dangerous situations. With each passing moment, they would acquire more and more wounds.

Especially Tu Ze, who had been pushed to insanity by Yan Ziqian as he risked his life to take Yan Ziqian's.

But it was clear to everyone that if his situation continued without change, Yan Ziqian would survive and only Tu Ze would die.

As soon as Tu Ze died, Zhuo Qian would be killed shortly after, followed by Kang Zhi and the rest.

Their situation was originally one of certain death.

But due to Qin Lie's arrival, the situation in the valley had undergone a heaven-turning earth-shaking change!

Currently, the new longblade Tu Ze was wielding was constantly condensing masses of starlight. These masses of light were like giant pieces of shiny crystals as they bombarded Yan Ziqian!

Atop Yan Ziqian's tall body, there were now a dozen or so bone deep wounds! The number of wounds on his body were quickly approaching how many wounds Tu Ze had suffered over the last few days!

On the other end, Zhuo Qian, who had switched out the new Dragon Bone Whip seemed to have similarly become a new person. Her aura was like a tiger's as she began to turn the tide, also forcing her opponent, Feng Kai, into a corner.

Countless whip marks marred Feng Kai's entire body. His abdomen, shoulders, and left cheek had all suffered wounds from the wind blades with fresh blood dripping down his body.

After Tu Ze and Zhuo Qian switched their spirit artifacts, their auras had erupted, their power climbing to new heights as they began to dominate their opponents!

Qin Lie, who no longer had to worry about Tu Ze and Zhuo Qian, returned to his senses as he too entered the fray, helping Han Feng, Kang Zhi, and Chu Peng fight their enemies.

He was a cultivator of the ninth level of the Refinement Realm. Lightning wound around his body, and the sound of thunder emanated between his strikes. At this point, when fighting against martial practitioners at the same level as him, Qin Lie was like a fierce beast within a group of sheep. Absolutely no one was able to contend against him.

He seemingly didn't even care about his opponent's attacks, completely relying on the advantage of his extremely tough body. Simply charging in, he collided with his enemies. It was as if an iron ship or giant car had crashed straight into the Shattered Ice Manor's martial practitioners.

All of the people who he smashed into were immediately sent pedaling backwards with blood flying from the corners of their mouths. Once those people finally regained their footing, an electric current discharged across their body, numbing them and charring their hair.

His disruption freed up Han Feng, Kang Zhi, and Chu Peng, further extending the advantage for those of Nebula Pavilion!

"I truly don't dare to believe it. Earlier, all of Nebula Pavilion's people were on the verge of dying. But now, they somehow managed to completely reverse the situation!"

"Conflict can truly change ten thousand times in a moment."

"Why would it be like this?"

As the young ladies of Water Moon Sect observed the battle within the valley with their glowing eyes, they whispered amongst each other.

"It's because of those two spirit artifacts and that one person," softly explained Na Nuo as she stared at Qin Lie, a curious light flashing through her eyes.

All of the gazes of the young ladies of Water Moon Sect transferred over to Qin Lie as various colors rippled through their eyes.

By this time, all of Shattered Ice Manor's martial practitioners had lost. Even Yan Ziqian was drenched in fresh blood. Based on his usual temperament, upon seeing the poor situation they were in, he would have since long ago calmly called for a retreat and quickly brought his people away.

However, he currently acted as if he still had the advantage as before.

-This was because the young ladies of Water Moon Sect were watching.

"Miss, what do you think?" said Liang Zhong atop the Profound Nether Beast as he slightly furrowed his brows, "If this situation continues, I fear the outcome will not be very good..."

"We cannot treat them differently. Earlier, we didn't immediately take action, so we must do the same now," indifferently responded Xie Jingxuan, indicating that she wasn't going to do anything. "Just be on the lookout. As long as no one dies, there is no problem."

"Understood."

Liang Zhong nodded. Afterwards, he hopped off the Profound Nether Beast and walked towards the center of the valley, arriving next to where the Nebula Pavilion and Shattered Ice Manor martial practitioners were fighting. With an indifferent attitude, he continued to watch.

His arrival didn't attract any attention from Shattered Ice Manor nor Nebula Pavilion's youths. It only grabbed the attention of Water Moon Sect's young ladies.

"Sister Na Nuo... this person?" whispered Little Sparrow.

Na Nuo slightly shook her head, indicating that she too wasn't very clear on Liang Zhong's background and identity. She calmed down the sisters behind her with the expression in her eyes, then continued to quietly wait and observe.

The young ladies of Water Moon Sect suddenly all became silent.

"Crack!"

The sound of broken bones emanated out from the chest of the Shattered Ice Manor martial practitioner who had previously been exchanging blows with Chu Peng. The person flew back two meters before falling onto the ground, their body spasming as an electric current discharged in their eyes.

Qin Lie's expression became heavy as he walked forward, ready to deal the killing blow.

At this moment, Liang Zhong suddenly appeared in front of him, slowly shaking his head.

Qin Lie's brows furrowed as he asked, "Why didn't you step in earlier?"

"If just now Tu Ze had arrived right at the brink of death..." calmly said Liang Zhong, "we would also have stepped in."

"There's no problem as long as they don't die, is that right?" asked Qin Lie.

Liang Zhong nodded.

Qin Lie immediately turned around, locking onto another Shattered Ice Manor martial practitioner. Coldly sneering, he once again charged over.

"Snap snap snap!"

The hair standing sounds of bones fracturing quickly resounded from where Qin Lie was. Upon hearing these sounds, the pretty faces of the young ladies of Water Moon Sect all became slightly pale.

-Qin Lie was like a heavily armored car. When he had crashed into the person, that person's bones emitted exploding sounds as blood surged out of their body like a geyser!

Liang Zhong was stunned as he helplessly looked to Xie Jingxuan, only to discover that she didn't react at all, as if she were seemingly used to the brutal actions of Qin Lie.

"Arghhh!"

A painful roar came from Yan Qingsong's mouth, suddenly attracting everyone's attention.

The battle between Gao Yu and Yan Qingsong previously had nothing worth watching as both sides were seemingly well matched, with no one having a distinct advantage over the other.

Thus, this battle between the two had gradually been forgotten by everyone.

Suddenly, after who knew what happened, great fear flickered in Yan Qingsong's eyes as he frantically retreated; it was as if he had seen a ghost.

Around Yan Qingsong's neck was a circular cluster of dense, gray clouds. These clouds were like a restrictive collar, constantly tightening.

From amidst the cloud cluster resonated the gloomy, mournful sound of moaning ghosts which pierced into everyone's hearts, causing them to feel as if they had fallen into the ninth level of hell!

Entwined around Gao Yu's body was a circle of black smoke. Within the black smoke, various tormented spirits and dead souls writhed. Along with his dark, eccentric eyes, he gave off an extremely evil vibe.

When Liang Zhong and Xie Jingxuan, who were on top of the Profound Nether Beast, noticed Gao Yu's eccentricities, their complexions changed slightly.

Liang Zhong, no longer caring about how badly Qin Lie ravaged Shattered Ice Manor's practitioners, suddenly shouted towards Gao Yu, "Kid, don't go overboard!"

He suddenly appeared between Gao Yu and Yan Qingsong.

After Liang Zhong arrived, the ghost cloud collar, which had been encircling Yan Qingsong's neck, suddenly flew away, instantly diffusing into the black smoke around Gao Yu's body.

Yan Qingsong's constantly spluttered out unintelligible words as he continued to back away, his eyes still filled with sheer terror as his body trembled in fear. It was as if he had been invaded by an evil devil and had his soul injured.

"Who are you? To care so much about matters not related to you!"

Gao Yu's face became gloomy as the another wail came from the evil spirit within the Ogre-faced Ring. Immediately, cluster after cluster of dense, gray masses of air appeared, moving towards Liang Zhong's chest.

Liang Zhong's eyes became cold as he suddenly snorted and opened his mouth, spitting out a ray of blue light.

The blue light was like flowing water yet sharp as a blade of light, cutting all of the masses of air to pieces!

Gao Yu's face suddenly became pale. He couldn't help but back up a few steps as he looked at Liang Zhong with hatred. He indeed didn't dare to make another move.

"Hold your attacks! Everyone hold your attacks! Who allowed you to fight?"

At this time, a deep, male voice sounded out over from the entrance of the valley. A middle aged man wearing the uniform of Dark Asura Hall angrily rushed over.

Following behind him were ten or so Dark Asura Hall martial practitioners.

Once these people arrived, they immediately began to forcefully interfere, strictly stopping the clashes between Shattered Ice Manor and Nebula Pavilion.

"What were you doing earlier?" coldly snorted Liang Zhong.

Upon hearing Liang Zhong's voice, the middle aged man suddenly reacted. Looking towards the corner where Gao Yu and Yan Qingsong had been fighting, he suddenly became surprised as he walked over and respectfully saluted, saying, "Mister Liang, when did you return home? Where is milady?"

"Hmph!" responded Liang Zhong, his face becoming cold as he looked at Xie Jingxuan in the distance. "Do you not have eyes?"

The group of Dark Asura Hall martial practitioners suddenly came to their senses. They, who had just stopped the fights between Shattered Ice Manor and Nebula Pavilion, all hurriedly moved over next to Xie Jingxuan, who was atop the Profound Nether Beast. One after another, they bowed and respectfully saluted, "Greetings, milady!"

Qin Lie, Tu Ze, and the rest, along with Na Nuo's group, were all stunned as they looked towards Xie Jingxuan.

Atop the Profound Nether Beast, Xie Jingxuan was indifferent as she nodded, asking, "Ban Hong, what has the situation been like recently?"

"It's become even worse," replied the middle aged man called Ban Hong. He was the person in charge, stationed in this area of the natural stone forest, and was the leader of this group of Dark Asura Hall practitioners. Holding his salute, he respectfully continued, "The situation has become even worse than when milady left."

Tu Ze, Na Nuo, and the rest were all dumbfounded.

They all knew that the deepest parts of this natural stone forest had constantly been under the control of Dark Asura Hall... the deepest parts of the natural stone forest was a place they weren't allowed to enter.

Thus, none of them had any clue what strange things existed the deepest parts of the natural stone forest.

But they had all known since long ago that there was definitely something strange within the depths of the stone forest. Otherwise, Dark Asura Hall would never have stationed people there.

If it were only a Rank Two spirit beast, they could have simply relied on the power of the four vassals to deal with it. For Dark Asura Hall to explicitly send people over was indeed strange.

Currently, as they listened to Ban Hong's conversation with Xie Jingxuan, they finally understood. There was actually something here that was even more powerful than Ban Hong!

Xie Jingxuan was the actual person in charge here. As for Ban Hong... he was clearly just a subordinate.

They could also finally could say for sure that there was something strange within the depths of the stone forest.

Xie Jingxuan's clear eyes swept across the faces of everyone within the valley. Every person she looked at would show an expression of reverence as they slightly bowed in respect.

"If Shattered Ice Manor and Nebula Pavilion come into conflict again within the stone forest, the provokers will be executed on the spot!" sternly reprimanded Xie Jianxuan, her expression suddenly becoming cold. Immediately, she took out a card and raised it, continuing, "Water Moon Sect, Crimson Flame Association, Shattered Ice Manor, and Nebula Pavilion, continue patrolling the outer edges of the stone forest. If there are spirit beasts, you may continue to kill them, but you are prohibited from entering the areas marked as restricted by the Dark Asura Hall! Do you understand?"

"Understood!" responded Tu Ze, Yan Ziqian, and Na Nuo in unison as they nodded. They didn't dare show the slightest hesitation.

They had clearly seen that the card within Xie Jingxuan's hand was an identity card of Dark Asura Hall's Department of Internal Affairs!

It was a command token which demanded their lives!

Even if Xie Jingxuan commanded them to go to their deaths, the would be unable to disobey the order!

"All those who are not affiliated, remain here. Qin Lie, come with me," continued Xie Jingxuan.

Everyone became filled with surprise as they all subconsciously turned their attention back to Qin Lie. They were curious, curious as to what kind of relationship Qin Lie had with this leading practitioner of Dark Asura Hall.

......

Chapter 86: Taking With Force

"Could you let me stay for another moment? I have some words I want to say to Tu Ze and Zhuo Qian," requested Qin Lie.

Xie Jingxuan glanced at Qin Lie, slightly furrowing her brows before nodding and saying, "Ban Hong, come with me. I need to be updated on the situation." Riding atop the Profound Nether Beast, she moved towards the depths of the stone forest.

Within the rugged stone forest, there were certain paths which were difficult for martial practitioners to tread. However, it was all like smooth ground to the Profound Nether Beast which advanced at a swift pace.

After bowing to Liang Zhong, Ban Hong brought a group of Dark Asura Hall martial practitioners and followed after Xie Jingxuan.

Liang Zhong temporarily stayed behind, observing Gao Yu with narrowed eyes and furrowed brows. His line of sight was directed at the black smoke currently twined around Gao Yu's body which had yet to disperse. He seemed to be considering something.

At this moment, Yan Ziqian and the wounded practitioners of Shattered Ice Manor gathered together, all of them supporting each other. Their expressions were all extremely ugly.

Yan Ziqian and Feng Kai were both bloody, their shoulders and abdomens showing extremely deep cuts. Their faces were gloomy as they busily bound their wounds.

Yan Qingsong, however, was the most tragic.

He seemingly had yet to wake from the illusion, his face still pale as his eyes showed a dazed look of horror. Unintelligible words were still incessantly spewing out from his mouth.

As for Tu Ze and Zhuo Qian's group, their situation wasn't much better. They were also covered in wounds and were also busily binding them.

However, unlike Yan Ziqian and his group, Tu Ze, Zhuo Qian, and the rest were all in high spirits, their faces showing a look of inexplicable excitement and glee.

Tu Ze and Zhuo Qian tightly clutched their new spirit artifacts - the longblade and Dragon Bone Whip, lovingly waving them around. They didn't want to put them down for even a second.

-It was as if the two of them were holding onto their own lives!

"Qin Lie! Th-this longblade..."

Tu Ze's eyes flushed. As he profoundly looked at Qin Lie, his face was full of excitement. Because he was so excited, he became unable to completely say what he was thinking.

"What exactly happened?"

Zhuo Qian walked forward a step, repeatedly patting Qin Lie's shoulder. Her bright face was full of smiles.

"Qin Lie, didn't Great Master Lu fail to truly forge the longblade and Dragon Bone Whip? How come these two defective products seemed to have been reactivated once they landed in your hands?" asked little fatty Kang Zhi in place of the two, verbalizing the confusion in their minds.

Yan Ziqian and Feng Kai were still treating their wounds, but upon hearing what Kang Zhi had said, they were both shocked for a moment and suddenly turned their heads to Nebula Pavilion's area.

"They were reactivated?"

Over where Water Moon Sect's was, Na Nuo and the other young ladies were also shocked. Their dazzling gazes also gathered upon Qin Lie's body as uncertainty emerged within their minds: Could it be that it was all because of him?

"Previously, the spirit diagrams within the longblade and Dragon Bone Whip were incomplete. I-I just asked someone to help me complete them."

Halfway through his response, Qin Lie suddenly remembered Li Mu's constant reminder that he shouldn't reveal that he was the one who had completed the spirit diagrams in case it attracted unnecessary trouble, as that would be too shocking.

"You asked someone to complete the spirit diagrams?" Tu Ze's entire face lit up. "Th-that person is definitely a peak level Artificer! He was able to complete the spirit diagrams that Great Master Lu failed to perfectly fuse, and the effects... the effects are so - so incredibly unimaginable! That person must have definitely been an extraordinary Artificer!"

Tu Ze's words were a little incoherent.

It was because he just loved his longblade too much. He currently dared to affirm that this spirit artifact was taken from dreams - that it was a treasure made just for him!

"His attainments with spirit artifacts have definitely surpassed Great Master Lu by a level. Otherwise, there would definitely have been no way for him to have successfully completed these spirit diagrams!" concluded Zhuo Qian with a hundred percent certainty. Afterwards, she perplexedly asked, "Qin Lie, how come you apprenticed yourself to Master Yao even though you know such an amazing person?"

"Uh, th-this..." Qin Lie stuttered.

"Little brother, could I borrow the longblade for a moment, I just want to take a look." On the other side, Liang Zhong seemed to have thought of something. His body flickering, he arrived at their side from beside Gao Yu like a ghost, his brows furrowed as he reached his hand out towards Tu Ze.

Liang Zhong was a person of Dark Asura Hall and someone who even Ban Hong had to respectfully refer to as Mister Liang. Thus, Tu Ze didn't dare displease him and obediently handed him the longblade after a moment's hesitation.

Liang Zhong received the blade. After perceiving it with narrowed eyes for a few seconds, his expression slightly changed as he handed the longblade back to Tu Ze. Immediately, he turned to Zhuo Qian and asked, "Little girl, please also lend me your whip."

"You better be careful. Don't destroy it," said Zhuo Qian, reluctantly handing it over. Her movements were very careful, making the whip seem more important than her life.

"Be at ease," consoled Liang Zhong. Receiving the Dragon Bone Whip, he once again perceived it with narrowed eyes for a moment before handing it back to its rightful owner. A look of astonishment emerged within his eyes.

Without saying another word, he nodded to the several people before moving back towards Gao Yu's side with furrowed brows. It seemed as if he were pondering something.

Very quickly, Liang Zhong seemed to have become content, as if he had already understood the critical details.

"Let's go." Once Yan Ziqian had simply bound his wounds, he stood up with a cold face. Along with Feng Kai and the other Shattered Ice Manor martial practitioners, they supported each other as they walked towards the outer ring of the valley.

"You guys don't want your stuff?" lightly asked Na Nuo.

"The three Rank Two spirit beasts within the valley were first discovered by us. It was only because Yan Qingsong followed after us that he found out about them," snorted Kang Zhi as he looked at the three spirit beast corpses. "Thus, at least a half of these spirit beasts belongs to us. It has no relation to Shattered Ice Manor."

"That's right!" exclaimed Tu Ze startledly. Wielding his longblade which was resplendent with starlight, he swept his eyes over the people slumping away in front of him, overbearingly saying, "Shattered Ice Manor's portion will be considered Nebula Pavilion's!"

"Tu Ze! You dare!" shouted Yan Ziqian, his eyes becoming a deep crimson. The faces of the other Shattered Ice Manor martial practitioners also became twisted, as if they wanted to continue their bloody battle.

"What? Not satisfied?" asked Zhuo Qian as she unsheathed her Dragon Bone Whip, a ferocious look emerging within her eyes. "Haven't you guys done this time and time again? These last two months, say it yourselves, just how much loot have you guys taken from us? What? Now that it's become our turn for once, you guys can't stand it?"

She cracked the Dragon Bone Whip and the wind dragon once again condensed. "If you're not satisfied, then you can talk with my whip!"

Previously, because Tu Ze and Zhuo Qian were no match for Yan Ziqian and Feng Kai, Shattered Ice Manor's people had constantly shadowed Tu Ze's group and deliberately tried to provoke them. Every time Tu Ze's group killed a spirit beast, they would immediately swoop out and say that they had been chasing it first, forcing Tu Ze's group to give up their spoils.

But now, the tides had turned, and Tu Ze and Zhuo Qian held the advantage. Learning from Shattered Ice Manor's actions, they finally did something detestable.

"Good! Very good!" Yan Ziqian deeply glared at the two for few moments, his face as cold as ice. Afterwards, he looked at Qin Lie once more. Nodding, he said, "Qin Lie, Qin Lie..."

As he repeatedly uttered Qin Lie's name, he led Feng Kai and the rest of Shattered Ice Manor's martial practitioners directly out of the valley.

Everyone could hear the deep-seated hatred contained within Yan Ziqian's voice as he repeated Qin Lie's name over and over again. All of them knew that, without a doubt, if Qin Lie ever fell into his hands, he would experience extremely cruel treatment.

And thus, Shattered Ice Manor's people left the valley.

"What do you all think?" asked Zhuo Qian, suddenly looking at Na Nuo.

"There's no problem," said Na Nuo, casually shrugging her shoulders. "After all, it was originally Shattered Ice Manor's. Moreover, it's only a portion of spirit materials from the body of the Poison Scale Scorpion and Golden Haired Ape. Haha, since they themselves didn't have a problem with it and gave it up, what can my Water Moon Sect say about it?"

"Then it's settled," coldly sneered Zhuo Qian, who seemingly didn't like Na Nuo. She slightly nodded.

"Qin Lie! You brat, you really came at the perfect time!"

At this time, Tu Ze, Kang Zhi, and the rest finally cheered up. One by one, they took turns, tightly hugging Qin Lie in the fashion that men used to express their excitement.

Very quickly, Tu Ze, Kang Zhi, and Chu Peng had all taken their turns and hugged Qin Lie once.

Laughing, Zhuo Qian, under the ambiguous gazes of the rest, boldly walked out next to Qin Lie and also tightly hugged him. Her fragrant lips touched Qin Lie's ear as she whispered, "Thank you..." Immediately, she gently laughed and let go, her cheeks slightly blushing.

"That person of Dark Asura Hall... what happened? How come you showed up with her?" suddenly asked Tu Ze afterwards.

"Gao Yu, where are you going?" Right as he was about to answer, he suddenly saw the gloomy faced Gao Yu who was passing by Liang Zhong and heading in the same direction as Xie Jingxuan and Ban Hong. Qin Lie hurriedly left Tu Ze's group and arrived beside Gao Yu, asking, "How come you are here as well?"

"Brat, you better behave for me," coldly shouted Liang Zhong, his eyes still stuck on Gao Yu.

Amongst the entirety of Nebula Pavilion, Qin Lie was Gao Yu's only friend. Their friendship had been created during their time at Celestial Wolf Mountain. When he had interacted with the others, he treated them coldly and with disregard, not giving them any face.

However, after Qin Lie had arrived, the coldness on Gao Yu's face finally showed some ease as he began to converse with Qin Lie.

"I was hunting high rank spirit beasts around Icestone City with Elder Ye and his group. Not too long ago, we attacked a Rank Two Ice Soul Python. We managed to kill it, but also lost a few brothers.

"At that time, a cluster of dark black clouds suddenly drifted above us. That thing sucked away the soul of the Ice Soul Python as well as the ones of those Discipline Hall brothers who had just died. All of the souls were taken up into the sky by it..."

"You know, the spirit art that I cultivate is a little special. These kinds of things, while others cannot sense it, I am very sensitive to."

"Later, when I paid more attention, I discovered that, after every battle with spirit beasts, a cluster of black clouds would appear above in the sky. With the end of each of our battles, the black clouds would suck away the souls of the spirit beasts and martial practitioners before they quickly dissipated back into the world. Most recently, one of my Discipline Hall brothers suffered a serious injury, but had yet to die. Yet, his soul... was still sucked away."

"Relying on my sensitivity to souls, I followed it over from outside, chasing it all the way to within the stone forest, to right here. At that time, when I arrived, the souls of these three spirit beasts were also sucked away by the black clouds. Those black clouds... moved towards the depths of the stone forest. I must go investigate and clearly figure out what happened!"

Gao Yu clearly stated his reasons.

Upon hearing Gao Yu's explanation, the expressions of Tu Ze, Zhuo Qian, and a group of ladies from Water Moon Sect all slightly changed. Their hairs were all on end as they became restless after Gao Yu's words.

"Now that you mention it, I remember that, three days ago, when we were fighting these three spirit beasts, there was seemingly... seemingly a cluster of black clouds in the sky above us," said Na Nuo, shocked.

Black clouds? A mysterious existence which sucked souls?

A chill also emerged within the depths of Qin Lie's heart. He knew that regardless of whether it was a martial practitioner or spirit beast, they all had souls. Furthermore, regardless of whether a martial practitioner or spirit beast became stronger, their soul would also become stronger. Once martial practitioners reached a certain level, they would even have to specially cultivate their souls. The souls of some powerful practitioners could even leave their flesh...

Once a martial practitioner or spirit beast died, their souls would slowly disperse, returning to the world.

The black clouds could amalgamate dead souls before they were able to dissipate. Just this was evil enough to cause everyone who listened to feel a little scared.

Surprisingly, at this time, Liang Zhong's eyes, which had previously been filled with displeasure towards Gao Yu, suddenly slightly lit up. "You're saying that you chased the black clouds here from all the way by the outskirts of Icestone City? You can... sense its movements?"

"Mn." Gao Yu nodded, then pointed towards the depths of the stone forest. After pondering for a moment, the expression in his eyes suddenly rippled, as if he too felt some uneasiness. However, he grit his teeth and gloomily said, "It's in there, just follow the direction I'm pointing. A-also, there are a lot of those things!"

After his remark, everyone's hearts froze as they looked in the direction that Gao Yu pointed.

-It was indeed the direction that Xie Jingxuan, Ban Hong, and the others had proceeded in earlier.

Chapter 87: Soul Devouring Beast

Qin Lie, Tu Ze, Na Nuo, and the others were shocked by Gao Yu's words and looked in the direction he was pointing.

At this moment, Liang Zhong suddenly spoke, "You are Gao Yu? You can come with Qin Lie and I into the depths of the stone forest and help with our mission."

Gao Yu's face was dark. "What mission?"

"You will naturally learn." Liang Zhong's brow creased. "You are also of Nebula Pavilion, so you must comply with our orders. You and Qin Lie will come with me. The others are not permitted to enter. Mn, you will naturally understand what you are curious about now if you come with us. You will find out what those black clouds are."

Finishing, Liang Zhong walked towards the depths of the stone forest and motioned for Qin Lie and Gao Yu to follow.

"Qin Lie, what's going on?" Tu Ze asked with shock.

Zhuo Qian, Na Nuo and the others also looked at him in hopes that he would spill a bit of information to dispel some of their confusion.

"I really don't know."

Qin Lie shook his head. Seeing Liang Zhong's impatient face, he could not say more. He could only follow with Gao Yu behind Liang Zhong's Profound Nether Beast as they walked further into the depths of the stone forest.

"Tu Ze, how is he at Nebula Pavilion? I've never heard of him before, what are his origins?" After Qin Lie and Gao Yu departed, Na Nuo's eyes turned as she looked at Zhuo Qian and asked with giggles, "Is he like her, also coming down from Dark Asura Hall to gain experience with your Nebula Pavilion? Who's his important father?"

The young females of Water Moon Sect also crowded over and prattled their inquiries.

Qin Lie's arrival had turned the tides of the battle for Tu Ze and the others. He also knew someone that successfully repaired Tu Ze and Zhuo Qian's failed spirit artifacts. Not only that, but he also seemed to be following Xie Jingxuan and had a large connection to Dark Asura Hall...

They naturally believed that Qin Lie was of extraordinary origins as Zhuo Qian, and that Qin Lie's identity was of someone even more important.

"Nothing to do with you." Before Tu Ze could reply, Zhuo Qian snorted and then frowned. "Divide the spirit materials up quickly. We still need to find a place to heal our wounds, so we can't afford to waste any time here."

Na Nuo's face was slightly cold. "The bodies of the spirit beasts are all here. You can cut Shattered Ice Manor's section, and we can do the remainder ourselves."

"Chu Peng, Kang Zhi!" Zhuo Qian ordered, "You two take the work. We will be leaving here soon, do not waste time."

Kang Zhi, Han Feng, and the others had wanted to converse more with the youthful females of Water Moon Sect. Hearing Zhuo Qian order them, they could only helplessly start on their tasks.

Tu Ze sat down to the side and swallowed a few medicinal pills to heal his injuries.

Na Nuo glanced over in this direction but did not speak anymore as though she found it uninteresting. Instead, all she did was silently wait with the group of females.

......

Qin Lie and Gao Yu followed behind the Profound Nether Beast past a patch of high stone peaks to a strange place where peculiar stones formed a forest.

In this area, the stones were as straight as swords, their tips pointing towards the sky forming a sword forest.

The surroundings were dark and cold, exuding an uncomfortable feeling. However, the natural energies in this place were extremely abundant, much better than anywhere else within the stone forest.

一Under a sword-shaped rock, Xie Jingxuan continued to sit on the Profound Nether Beast as she listened to Ban Hong's report.

There were many Dark Asura Hall martial practitioners scattered about. All of them were respectful, but there was clear worry between their brows as though they were unsettled by some matter.

Seeing Liang Zhong arriving with Qin Lie and Gao Yu, Xie Jingxuan showed some slight astonishment and stopped Ban Hong. Having Ban Hong step aside, she then motioned for Liang Zhong to come forward.

The Profound Nether Beast that Liang Zhong was riding moved forward. He knew what she wanted to ask and explained preemptively, "This boy is Gao Yu. He has been pursuing a soul fragment of the Soul Devouring Beast from Icestone City. The boy says he can feel the presence of the Soul Devouring Beast's soul fragment. Just now, when we were outside, he pointed to the area we put our highest priority on and said that there are more soul fragments of the Soul Devouring Beast there..."

Xie Jingxuan's eyes grew slightly brighter as she looked to Gao Yu. "He is that sensitive to soul?"

"Mn, the spirit art the boy is cultivating is special, it seems... to be the kind of spell that can control vengeful spirits." Liang Zhong lowered his voice, "This kind of art is hard to find and extremely difficult to cultivate. Additionally, it is hard to accomplish anything with it. Even within Dark Asura Hall, there are rarely people that cultivate such a dark and unpredictable spirit art. I felt that he would be of use, so I brought him as well."

Xie Jingxuan nodded slightly.

"Miss, I just recently inspected the spirit artifacts in Tu Ze and Zhuo Qian's possession. The spirit diagrams that were mended... was completed by the same person who made the spirit diagrams in the Spirit Gathering Boards," Liang Zong said in a deep voice.

"Hm?" Xie Jingxuan did not understand.

"It's like this," Liang Zhong explained, "Tu Ze and Zhuo Qian had invited Great Master Lu to forge the spirit artifacts but problems happened in the process; supposedly, the spirit diagrams were in conflict. As a result... Great Master Lu did not complete either of the two spirit artifacts and caused both spirit artifacts to become defective. Qin Lie took the two defective artifacts and said he would seek someone to help complete the spirit diagrams. On the trip here, he gave the two spirit artifacts back to Tu Ze and Zhuo Qian..."

Liang Zhong paused and then said, "You saw the results as well. The two spirit artifacts perfectly complemented Tu Zi and Zhuo Qian's spirit arts as though they were made specifically for them and became a part of their user's bodies."

Xie Jingxuan's eyes lit up. "You mean?"

"Hehe, it seems the owner of Li's Shop is a great artificer." Liang Zhong's face showed great respect. "He is able to give new life to the spirit artifacts that Great Master Lu had failed to make. This person's skill in forging is definitely a level above Great Master Lu!"

"Are you sure it is him?" Xie Jingxuan murmured to herself.

"Of course, it has to be him." Liang Zhong was very confident. "I have long been suspicious that the Spirit Gathering Boards were made by Li Mu's hands. Even Armament Pavilion doesn't have something this unique, and we never saw them anywhere else. Where would Li Mu get his inventory? The spirit diagrams inside these two spirit artifacts are the same as the ones in the Spirit Gathering Boards, isn't that enough to show a connection?"

Xie Jingxuan thought and then nodded lightly. "It seems so."

"When we go to Li's Shop next time, we need to be more careful. Such a high level artificer must have a great background." Liang Zhong's expression was stern. "I will also get people to investigate this Li Mu's true identity and examine his history."

"Mn, if there are more Spirit Gathering Boards, we can probably relax this time, " Xie Jingxuan said.

"Miss, what is the situation right now?" Liang Zhong inquired.

"Look for yourself." Xie Jingxuan sighed lightly.

Liang Zhong's face became heavy. He suddenly flew up from the Profound Nether Beast and nimbly climbed onto the largest stone peak. After he quickly got on top of the pillar, he looked on from his vantage point, ten meters high.

Upon looking down, he saw there was an area in the depths of the stone forest that was shrouded in black cloud, completely hiding what was within.

The black clouds moved as though they were alive and emitted an extremely dark, cold, and malicious presence. Even this far away, Liang Zhong could feel the terrifying ripples inside it.

There were many spirit beasts surrounding there, many of which were Rank Two. These spirit beasts gathered around the black cloud and closed off every path that lead in.

If one wanted to reach the thickest part of the black cloud, they had to kill spirit beasts and, at the very least, create a path themselves.

Liang Zhong's brows were deeply locked. He made a rough calculation and found there were hundreds of Rank One spirit beasts and twenty to thirty Rank Two spirit beasts. It would be hard work to clean out a road, not very easy at all.

After watching for a while, Liang Zhong's brow did not relax as he said, "The situation is not optimistic."

"Mn, we brought too few people and did not predict that so many spirit beasts would have gathered up. It is unlikely that making a path will be easy." Xie Jingxuan thought for a while and said, "We might have to use Tu Ze, Na Nuo, and the others..."

"What does Miss plan to make them do?" Liang Zhong asked respectfully.

"They will gather and draw away spirit beasts from that side. At best, they can kill some and take some of the pressure off us." Xie Jingxuan's face was indifferent as she calmly continued, "We cannot expend too much energy on the spirit beasts or waste too much strength. The Soul Devouring Beast... is our goal and also our most important mission this time around."

"The young ones are too weak. If they truly enrage the spirit beasts, there will be heavy losses," Liang Zhong said worriedly.

"On this road, everyone must face hardship and contend with death at all times. I know that it really is a difficult task for them to face herd of spirit beasts, but we do not have any better solutions." Xie Jingxuan was also helpless. She thought and then said, "When I was ten, I was already fighting in the first level of the Nether Battlefield and have ended up before death's door many times. Unless they are baptized by blood, these people cannot be left in charge. They will never be even able to take a single step into Dark Asura Hall at any point in their lives. They otherwise cannot be of help to us."

"Understood." Liang Zhong listened for a while and inwardly sighed. He then nodded lightly. "I will arrange it."

Six hours later.

Xiong Ba of Crimson Flame Association, Na Nuo of Water Moon Sect, Yan Ziqian who had just finished treating his wounds as well as Tu Ze, Zhuo Qian, and the others all appeared in this area.

Everyone gathered.

Qin Lie and Gao Yu were also at the location and had shocked expressions as they looked at Liang Zhong who had gathered everyone.

"Originally, I hadn't not planned to have you all participate, but the current situation is dire, and we need to borrow your strength to take a portion of the pressure from the spirit beasts off of us." Liang Zhong came to the front of the members from all four factions and sat high up on his Profound Nether Beast as he said, "A Soul Devouring Beast has somehow escaped from the Nether Battlefield. Taking advantage of the chaotic battle between spirit beasts and martial practitioners in the Arctic Mountain Range, this Soul Devouring Beast has consumed a large number of soul and quickly evolved, rapidly increasing its strength."

"Soul Devouring Beasts are spirit beasts of the Nether Battlefield. This Soul Devouring Beast evolves quickly. As the souls it consumes become stronger, it can continue to evolve without limit! Rank Three Soul Devouring Beasts possess the ability to divide their souls. The main soul can be divided into dozens of soul fragments that can leave the body to search for and consume souls."

"The black cloud Gao Yu saw was one of the soul fragments of the Soul Devouring Beast that was consuming the souls of those who had just recently died to increase its strength."

"The fighting between spirit beast and martial practitioners in Arctic Mountain Range has been frequent. Many spirit beasts have died, and many of our martial practitioners have sacrificed themselves. This Soul Devouring Beast managed to catch this one in a thousand chance. When this Soul Devouring Beast came out of the Nether battlefield, it was just Rank One, and now it is Rank Three and progressing to becoming Rank Four. It is becoming even more frightening.

Liang Zhong pointed deep into the stone forest with a heavy expression. "Right now, it is in the depths of the stone forest. It will soon attempt to reach Rank Four. If you cannot kill it before it breaks into Rank Four, when that happens, it will acquire new abilities and become extremely difficult to kill. It will become a never-ending threat!"

Chapter 88: Split Mobilization

"Nether Battlefield, Soul Devouring Beast, Rank Three, Rank Four..."

Qin Lie, Gao Yu, and the others listened attentively to Liang Zhong's explanation, and as it went on, they became paler and paler.

Tu Ze, Zhuo Qian, Na Nuo, Yan Ziqian, and Xiong Ba seemed to know a bit where the Soul Devouring Beast came from and had heard about Nether Battlefield's situation before. When Liang Zhong was halfway through his explanation, their hearts already felt cold and their faces were ashen. They were much more frightened than Qin Lie and Gao Yu.

"Sister Qian, do you... know something about the Nether Battlefield and Soul Devouring Beast?" Qin Lie asked in a low voice.

After Tu Ze and Zhuo Qian had arrived, he had moved to Tu Ze's side so that he was now beside Tu Ze and Zhuo Qian.

He knew that Zhuo Qian was born in Dark Asura Hall and grew up there as well. Because of that, he presumed that Zhuo Qian should know a bit about the Nether Battlefield and Dark Asura Hall.

As expected, Zhuo Qian nodded lightly, worry evident on her face. "There are many scattered small dimensions around Spirit Realm. In these small dimensions, there are many evil beings, powerful races, terrifying beasts, and even more terrifying monsters. Those dimensions are said to rely on the Spirit Realm to exist, so there are passages between them and the Spirit Realm. Those powerful and evil beings, the terrifying other races and beasts are always looking for an opportunity to invade Spirit Realm in order to acquire its vast lands.

"Nether Realm is a small dimension on the edge of Spirit Realm ,and there are evil beings active there. The Nether Battlefield is the passage between us and Nether Realm. To stop the evil beings of Nether Realm from coming through, Dark Asura Hall, Seven Fiends Valley, other black iron forces such as Dark Shadow Tower will send people into the Nether Battlefield to try to kill the evil beings that come through the Nether Battlefield into Spirit Realm.

"The Nether Battlefield is the passage that connects Nether Realm and Spirit Realm. In past centuries, black iron forces like Dark Asura Hall, Seven Fiends Valley, and Dark Shadow Tower have sent countless martial practitioners there. Inside the Nether Battlefield, the conflict between martial practitioners and evil existences have never stopped. Many martial practitioners have died...

"Soul Devouring Beasts are supposedly the spirit beasts of Nether Realm. It is a very frightening spirit beast that possesses an ability that allows it to rapidly evolve. As long it has enough souls to eat, the Soul Devouring Beast can quickly break through and enter new levels.

"Rank Three Soul Devouring Beasts possess the power to divide their souls and form many soul fragments that can hunt everywhere. If one can destroy the main body and primary soul of the Rank Three Soul Devouring Beast, the Rank Three Soul Devouring Beast's soul fragments would die as well, so Rank Three Soul Devouring Beasts are still easy to kill.

"Once the Soul Devouring Beast enters Rank Four, however, it has an even more frightening ability: its soul fragments do not die even if its main soul is destroyed! Rank Four Soul Devouring Beasts become just that much harder to defeat. Even if we kill its main soul and body, as long as even a single soul fragment escapes, the Soul Devouring Beast can still make a quick recovery by consuming more souls!

"Therefore, it is still relatively easy to kill Soul Devouring Beasts when they're Rank Three, but when they reach Rank Four, killing it becomes many times more difficult!"

Zhuo Qian's voice wasn't loud in the beginning. When she found that Liang Zhong had stopped and motioned for her to narrate the situation, her voice gradually became louder.

This was so everyone else could hear more clearly and gain a better understanding of the terrors of the Nether Battlefield and the Soul Devouring Beast.

"Rank Three Soul Devouring Beasts are not as strong and cannot directly take the souls of spirit beasts and martial practitioners. They can only split their soul to roam and absorb the souls of martial practitioners and soul beasts that have died," Liang Zhong added. "Once the Soul Devouring Beast breaks into rank four, it can directly take the souls of low level martial practitioners and spirit beasts. If martial practitioners in the Refinement Realm, the Natal Opening Realm, and spirit beasts that are rank one or two do not cultivate special arts or have spirit artifacts that specifically protect the soul, they cannot resist at all and their soul would be instantly absorbed, resulting in immediate death!"

Once the words came out, everyone's expressions became increasingly ugly as the terror became more evident.

"Let's talk about it this way." Liang Zhong inhaled deeply and said with a strange expression, "If we wait for this Soul Devouring Beast to become Rank Four, when it enters Icestone City, Crimson Flame City, Water Moon City, these three cities would become dead cities in only a few days. All the martial practitioners and ordinary citizens would die from having their souls eaten!"

Tu Ze, Na Nuo, Xiong Ba, and the others felt their bodies freeze in fear the moment the heard this.

-They finally recognized the true horror of the Soul Devouring Beast.

"Fortunately, this Soul Devouring Beast has not reached Rank Four yet," Liang Zhong added. "Our mission this time is to kill this Soul Devouring Beast. Right now, it is in the depths of the stone forest..."

Liang Zhong gave a simple explanation and ordered the four factions, under Tu Ze, Na Nuo, Xiong Ba, and Yan Ziqian, to cooperate to exterminate the spirit beasts in the surrounding area. The more they killed, they more pressure that they could take off the main group.

"We have set up a formation that can kill the Soul Devouring Beast where it is currently residing, but that caused the natural spirit energy of the world to become more abundant and has attracted many spirit beasts. This was something we did not expect. Now, we need to activate the formation as the Soul Devouring Beast is leveling up and use the formation to exterminate it when it is using all its power at the crucial moment of evolving into rank four."

"The spirit beasts that have gathered there have blocked all the roads. We cannot waste too much energy on cleaning out the spirit beasts. Due to this, we need your aid to lead the spirit beasts away or kill them. In short, before we act, we need the number of spirit beasts in that area to be greatly reduced to create an opportunity for us to enter. This is so we do not need to expend great amount of effort on the spirit beasts in order to reach the Soul Devouring Beast."

Liang Zhong outlined the situation clearly and then divided the labor among the four factions.

"Before entering, we do not have anything to do, so can we also go clear out some spirit beasts?" Qin Lie asked Liang Zhong.

Liang Zhong looked to Xie Jingxuan, and upon seeing her nod, he said, "You can."

So Qin Lie and Gao Yu went with Tu Ze's group to one of the places that the spirit beasts were gathering, following the martial practitioners of Dark Asura Hall for their extermination mission.

"Milady, should we help? If we help, the efficiency will be very high. Most of the young ones are in the Refinement Realm, and there aren't many in the Natal Opening Realm. It will be very difficult for them to complete this mission," Ban Hong asked.

Xie Jingxuan sighed lightly and said with a shake of her head, "I've been observing just now and have found that the Soul Devouring Beast can start its evolution at any moment. It may start in just a bit, no one can predict it. If you participate, you will waste spirit energy and physical power that cannot be recovered quickly."

"When I begin the formation, I need you to protect me with all you have, so you all must be at your best conditions. If you waste your energy on the spirit beasts and the Soul Devouring Beast starts to break through right then, your power will not have recovered when I open the formation which means I will not be able to successfully activate the formation. This would cause this mission to fail."

"Understood!" Ban Hong's was ashamed. He nodded and then ordered his subordinates, "Sit and meditate to maintain your best condition. Prepare to fight to the death at any moment!"

......

"Zhuo Qian, you've lived for a while at Dark Asura Hall, do you anything about who that woman is?" Tu Ze suddenly asked on the way to the depths of the stone forest.

Qin Lie, Kang Zhi, and the others also looked at her.

"I don't know." Zhuo Qian shook her head. "The Department of Internal Affairs is the most mysterious organization within Dark Asura Hall. Even within Dark Asura Hall, there are not many that know the internal situation. When I was little, my father would scare me by saying that people from the Department of Internal Affairs were coming to arrest me. Internal Affairs... it is a place that even the martial practitioners of Dark Asura Hall would fear if they heard it, so not many dare to investigate what goes on inside."

"That woman is really beautiful." Kang Zhi's chubby face had a smile that asked for a beating. "If I can marry her, it's worth it even if I die."

"Yes, yes. If I can marry this woman for a day, then it's worth it for a lifetime," Han Feng agreed.

"You might all die, but you definitely cannot touch that woman..." Zhuo Qian looked coldly at them. "Every person that has a high position in the Department of Internal Affairs has gone through cruel and bloody torture! The people or inhuman evil beings that woman have killed are possibly more than you have ever seen!

"Even the most average General of the Department of Internal Affairs would have stayed in the Nether Battlefield for more than two years. That Ban Hong is a small leader of the department, and even he calls her milady... I don't know how many years she's been fighting on the Nether Battlefield with those evil beings."

Zhuo Qian snorted and said, "The next time you see her, keep your gazes clean. Be careful so that you aren't randomly killed! The people of Internal Affairs can kill Generals of Dark Asura Hall without even needing a reason, much less you who are from a subordinate force."

Kang Zhi, Han Feng, Chu Peng, and the others shuddered at her words and finally regained clarity.

"Qin Lie, you should also be careful of that woman, do not offend her for any reason. No matter what kind of reason she has for needing your aid, you need to treat it seriously. Do not make her unhappy." Zhuo Qian turned her head and continued seriously, "Even if she was in a bad mood and kills you without a reason, Nebula Pavilion has no way to get justice for you."

Qin Lie's face shuddered lightly and said bitterly, "I know."

At the side, Gao Yu's eyes showed terror upon hearing this as he thought he finally recognized the terrifying nature of the Department of Internal Affairs.

"Awoo!"

The howl of a spirit beast suddenly came from the stone forest in front of them. The sour smell unique to spirit beasts also came.

"Roar!"

"Aooo!"

The different howls sounded out one after another. The frantic howling of Rank Two spirit beasts caused the expressions of Qin Lie, Tu Ze, and the others to greatly change.

"Just listening to the howls, there are at least six Rank Two spirit beasts. Are you kidding me, h-how can we clean them out?" Kang Zhi paled dramatically.

Everyone hurriedly stopped, their hearts afraid as they looked in terror at the direction the howls came from.

Chapter 89: Luring Them Out
The six Rank Two spirit beasts were the equivalent of six Natal Opening Realm martial practitioners. This power alone wasn't something they could deal with.

Besides that, there were a lot of Rank One spirit beasts, and their combat strength posed just as much of a threat. Added to the fact that there were numerous Rank Ones, they could easily all be ripped to death.

For them, other than Tu Ze and Zhuo Qian, who had reached the early stage of the Natal Opening Realm, the rest of them were only at the Refinement Realm.

Both Tu Ze and Zhuo Qian had suffered quite the injury during their earlier battle against Yan Ziqian, and they still hadn't managed to recover yet...

Just how were they going to fight this?

"No! We're all just going to die if we rush in there and fight! No one will survive!" Kang Zhi shook his head repeatedly while squeezing out a bitter smile on his face. "Should we slow down for a bit? Wait until Big Brother Tu and Sister Qian recovers before taking this one step at a time?"

"The people of Dark Asura Hall's Department of Internal Affairs aren't easy to deal with. If they see us slack off instead of putting our lives on the line for them, we won't be able to come up with an excuse. They can... punish us straight away or even kill us on the spot."

Zhuo Qian's expression was serious. "Running away is not an option, so we'll have to think of another way. Oh, right, they did mention earlier that it's okay to pull the spirit beasts away. They're only trying to go further in, and the spirit beast horde is blocking their way. As long as we are able to pull a portion of the horde away, we would have accomplished our mission."

"Yes, Zhuo Qian is right," Tu Ze interrupted. "Wanting to fight the spirit beasts head on is seeking our own deaths. We'll use our familiarity with the outer area of the stone forest, anger the spirit beasts, and attract them outside. That should be fine."

Qin Lie also nodded in agreement.

Soon enough, they finalized their plan, and with the aim to anger and bait the spirit beasts, they headed to an area the spirit beasts had gathered to.

An hour later, the group had arrived behind a large rock and stealthily poked out their heads.

It was a slightly open area of stone. Tens of spirit beasts had gathered at the spot, and most of them were Rank One spirit beasts. There was an Ice Soul Python, two Golden Crag Beasts, two Dragonhorn Rhinoceroses, and even a Golden Haired Ape in the mix. These six Rank Two spirit beasts were all situated at the fork deeper inside the stone forest.

The six Rank Two spirit beasts were all squatting neatly and appeared to be absorbing spirit energy using their unique spirit beasts ways.

Wisps of white fog entered and exited their nose and mouths, and the area they were in had slightly thicker nature spirit energy.

The six Rank Two spirit beasts had occupied the best positions, which was also the closest area to the deeper section of the stone forest.

The remaining tens of Rank One spirit beasts were spread out and stayed a far distance away from them. It appeared that they weren't allowed to get close.

"What a thick level of nature spirit energy." After Qin Lie had come, it took only one sniff for his expression to slightly shift, his eyes flashing with an odd light. He thought to himself, "The Spirit Gathering Boards! The world's spirit energy here has been gathered by the Spirit Gathering Boards! Xie Jingxuan's specially arranged formation used to purify the Soul Devouring Beast must have Spirit Gathering Boards hidden inside it, and it was also these Spirit Gathering Boards that so much of the world's spirit energy has been gathered around this area."

He immediately understood what happened.

"Let's go!" Tu Ze yelled in a soft tone.

"Attack!" the group yelled in unison.

"Swish Swish Swoosh! Whoosh Whoosh Whoosh! Zzt Zzt Zzt!"

For a time, rays of vivid rainbow-like colors flew over from their direction.

There were crimson flames, faint blue lightning, cold gray fog, fluttering blades of wind, bright-silver nebula balls, brown-yellow rainbow beams...

They were all released from the spirit artifacts they held in their hands, focusing them into rays of bright and vivid multi-colored lights that shot straight at the center of the spirit beast horde.

"Aoo!"

The spirit beasts' howls abruptly exploded outwards, and in pain, all of the spirit beasts who were using the world's spirit energy to cultivate had turned mad.

The eyes of those bloodthirsty and cruel beast searched in all four directions, and they immediately locked down Tu Ze and Qin Lie's loudly shrieking group. Immediately, the spirit beasts howled out in anger and rushed into action.

The six Rank Two spirit beasts were also attacked by the storm-like barrage. The nebula light balls and wind blades from Tu Ze's longblade and Zhuo Qian's Dragon Bone Whip showed off their awesome power and drew bloody wounds on all three spirit beasts, angering them completely.

The irritated spirit beast horde rushed out and directly charged towards the group, and a fierce and brutal atmosphere akin to a dark cloud bore down upon them.

"Run!"

Kang Zhi screeched out. The actions of his fat body were both swift and agile, and he was the first to run out.

Han Feng, Chu Peng and the rest were ready to do the same long ago, and the moment they saw him charged forward, they too followed closely behind him, afraid to be left behind.

"Go!"

Tu Ze shouted aloud and urged both Gao Yu and Qin Lie to quickly escape. Both Zhuo Qian and him held their spirit artifacts in hand and looked to stay at the furthest end to cut off any pursuers.

When he saw the tens of spirit beasts rushing towards them, Qin Lie was also frightened by the parade as he hurriedly called after Gao Yu with a slight change in expression, "Let's go!"

Gao Yu nodded and retreated along with Qin Lie, shoulder by shoulder, back the way they came. They purposely picked crooked small trails to escape to.

Once Gao Yu and Qin Lie had left, Tu Ze and Zhuo Qian did not dare to stay too long either. Once they had let loose a few more wind blades and nebula beams and blasted the spirit beasts at random, they also bolted and ran like hell.

Amidst the stone hills that were like a forest of swords, Xie Jingxuan had abandoned their Profound Nether Beasts and stood at the pinnacle of the hills.

This particular stone hill was tens of meters high, and it allowed them to clearly see from afar with a bird's-eye view. Their realms were rather high, and their eyesights were impeccable. It took them a single glance to notice the huge commotion Qin Lie and Tu Ze had created, watching them speedily retreat while the spirit beasts chased madly after them until they slowly left the gathering point.

"I suppose these kids are pretty smart." Liang Zhong smiled and nodded his head. "If they were to fight the spirit beast horde head on, it's highly probable that none of them will survive. I suppose they have achieved our demands now that they have lured the spirit beast horde away. Hmm, not bad; I may have underestimated them."

"Look over there." Xie Jingxuan pointed in another direction. "The group from Crimson Flame Association are a bunch of simpletons. They won't use their brains unless they suffer some real losses."

Liang Zhong looked in direction she was pointing in with an odd expression as he dumbfoundedly said, "This Xiong Ba is seriously just like his father and grandfather!"

From their point of view, they could vaguely see that Crimson Flame Association's Xiong Ba and his men had charged straight into the center of the spirit beast horde and were caught in a fierce battle.

Although the spirit beasts they were fighting weren't as fearsome as the ones Qin Lie's group had encountered, there were still four Rank Two spirit beasts and fifty more Rank Ones.

Xiong Ba and Crimson Flame Association were obviously at a disadvantage fighting the fearsome beasts alone, and if they didn't grow a brain soon and retreat, it wouldn't be long before they experienced casualties.

"They're a bit stupid," Xie Jingxuan commented with a frown.

Liang Zhong nodded his head and let out a sigh. "These guys are definitely going to eat some big losses. Crimson Flame Association's decision to let Xiong Ba lead the group was a clear lapse in judgment."

"Shattered Ice Manor and Water Moon Sect's plans were the same as Nebula Pavilion's. They were all smart enough not to fight the spirit beasts head on." After a while, Yan Ziqian and Na Nuo began to make their move, and watching the commotion from afar, Xie Jingxuan nodded slightly. "That Na Nuo is pretty good. Out of the four leaders, she is the strongest, and she also takes great care of her sisters..."

She could see very far, and she could see that, although Yan Ziqian's plan was the same as Na Nu - both were baiting the spirit beasts to leave their positions - but when they put their plan into action, there were some minor differences in terms of minute detail between the two.

After Yan Ziqian and the others had angered the spirit beasts, Yan Ziqian and Feng Kai left first without a care for anyone else. They were obviously selfish people.

Na Nuo was different. Just like Tu Ze and Zhuo Qian, she had taken the initiative to stay at the very end and waited until her lower realm sisters had made it out before she escaped herself.

The actions of all four groups - Nebula Pavilion, Crimson Flame Association, Shattered Ice Manor and Water Moon Sect - were seen in their entirety by Xie Jingxuan and Liang Zhong. The two had also formed a rough opinion on the behavior and character of those in the four groups.

After watching for a while, both of them placed their attention onto Nebula Pavilion's group, specifically Qin Lie and Gao Yu.

"This Gao Yu kid cultivates a rather special spirit art, and his character is also incredibly dark and ruthless. He hides a viciousness in his bones." Liang measured his words for a while. "But this kid is antisocial and seems to enjoy being a loner. He isn't good at communicating and his teamwork can use a little work."

Seeing that Xie Jingxuan didn't say anything, Liang Zhong frowned slightly and pondered, "As for that Qin Lie kid, I can't exactly see through him..."

"Oh?" Xie Jingxuan turned his head around, seemingly wanting him to continue.

"Along the way, Qin Lie had been very quiet, giving the impression that he is a gentle and quiet kid. We've seen him a few times at Li's Shop, and his behavior was pretty normal. He speaks tactfully and does things quite well. He feels just like the guy next door, and at first glance, there's nothing special about him..."

After a pause, Liang Zhong then said, "However, when he fights with another person, he suddenly turns incredibly fierce and violent, like a beast that had been suppressed for a long time was suddenly unleashed onto the world. He does not show any mercy, and his attacks are like a violent storm. Once he entered combat, it's as if he has transformed into a completely different person, as if he had transformed into a monster and a fiend; it is completely different from his usual behavior. This is incredibly strange."

"Perhaps he reveals his true self when he fights. Perhaps this is his true nature. Perhaps the him in daily life is just a disguise..."

Xie Jingxuan suddenly spoke out, and her words both surprised and confused Liang Zhong. Just as Liang Zhong was about to ask, she continued saying, "I've talked with Tu Mo before. I heard from Tu Mo that this Qin Lie came from the vassal force called the Ling Family under Nebula Pavilion. He and his grandfather came to the Ling Family together. Apparently, he forgot everything from over ten years ago. It's as if that part of his memories was completely missing."

At this point, she frowned for a bit before continuing, "More often than not, how people express themselves during combat is their truest self. That is why the Qin Lie who is violent, savage, and brutal in battle may be the true Qin Lie; that could be the character he had developed during those past ten years."

Liang Zhong looked surprised. "In that case, this Qin Lie is seriously not simple. I dare say that such a violent, savage, and brutal fellow cannot possibly come from a normal family."

"Mn." Xie Jingxuan nodded. "Unfortunately, he can no longer remember the past, or we could otherwise clear our doubts. However, all I hope right now is that during the moment we need him, he will be able to summon a bolt of lightning from the Ninth Heaven just like last time. Then he'll be able to help us. Otherwise, no matter what background he might have, he is of no value to us at all."

"True."

Chapter 90: Variant Spirit Beast
"Poof!"

The Ice Soul Python fired a bright silver ball of ice from its mouth. While the ball of ice was spinning, a cold chill spread out in every direction before destroying the stone pillar Qin Lie was behind. There was actually the shocking sound of thunder.

The Rank Two Ice Soul Python was about six or seven meters long and as wide as a human's waist. Its beastly eyes glittered with brutality as it swiftly charged at him.

Qin Lie suddenly turned around and glanced at where the ball of ice had exploded. His eyes shone with a strange light.

"Let's go! What are you waiting for?" Gao Yu halted and urged him to leave quickly, his expression urgent.

At this moment, the escaping group slowly spread out. Tu Ze and Kang Zhi went one way whereas Zhuo Qian, Han Feng, and Chu Peng went the other. However, they were all still moving to the outer edge of the stone forest; it was just that they split up halfway for convenience's sake.

Qin Lie and Gao Yu had stuck together. Close behind them was the Ice Soul Python and a dozen-odd snake and python type Rank One spirit beasts.

Because these Rank One spirit beasts were slightly slower, after a time of pursuit they were gradually left behind and the Ice Soul Python were the only one still pursuing.

Both Qin Lie and Gao Yu would attack and provoke the Ice Soul Python from time to time to prevent it from heading back, aggravating it so it wouldn't stop chasing them.

"Fwoosh!"

The silver ball of ice was crystalline bright and about the size of a fist. Once again it flew over with a biting chill.

Qin Lie did not run away. Instead, his eyes were bright as he closely watched the clump of faint blue inside the ball of ice. From inside it he could feel... a surge of thunder energy!

The Ice Soul Python was an ice type spirit beast. Its body was cold and chilly, and its attacks usually consisted of blades of ice and dregs of ice. It relied on cold poison to hurt people.

However, this Ice Soul Python seemed to be slightly different. Its ball of ice contained a thunderous wave, and after it landed, it also resulted in a roar of thunder and powerful explosion...

This attracted Qin Lie's attention.

Seeing that another ball of ice was headed in his direction, Qin Lie held his breath and channeled Heavenly Thunder Eradication. Electric currents covered his his entire body, and there was thunder faintly roaring from inside his body.

The terribly cold ball of ice headed straight for Qin Lie's chest. A chill that seeped into his bones rushed at him, causing Qin Lie's entire body to turn rigid, and even his blood felt like it had frozen over.

"As expected of a Rank Two spirit beast; this chilliness is unbelievable!" Qin Lie's face turned slightly as he continued to channel Heavenly Thunder Eradication, and right before the ball of ice was about to hit him, he suddenly stuck out his finger and pointed.

A thumb-sized light blue lightning abruptly shot out of his fingertips and struck the ball of ice perfectly.

"Boooom!"

The silver ball abruptly exploded, and the thunder energy stored inside it exploded as well, causing dregs of ice to shoot out everywhere.

"Pew! Pew!"

Some ice splattered against Qin Lie's body, and a chilly flow spread out along with them, causing his teeth to chatter like crazy and his muscles to feel like they had frozen over.

"Thunder! There is thunder energy inside the balls of ice!" Qin Lie exclaimed.

The ball of ice forming inside the Ice Soul Python's mouth had a translucent, icy and crystalline shell. However, once it shattered, the thunder energy inside would immediately explode outwards.

The explosive thunder energy was actually even stronger than the icy power itself. It seemed that this was the balls of ice's true power and the Ice Soul Python's key to killing people.

"Qin Lie, what are you doing?" Gao Yu returned from the front and stood beside Qin Lie.

At this moment, the Ice Soul Python twisted its body and raised its head high. It had also made its way in front Qin Lie, and cruelty and malice leaked out of its eerie green eyes.

"This Ice Soul Python is a bit special. The balls of ice it spits out contains the power of thunder!" Qin Lie was excited. "In that case, its beast core definitely contains the power of thunder! Perhaps there are thunder type spirit materials inside its body. I'm going to kill this Ice Soul Python!"

"A variant spirit beast?" Gao Yu looked startled for a moment before he yelled out, "A variant spirit beast is harder to deal with than a normal spirit beast, and this is a Rank Two Ice Soul Python no less... it'll be very hard for the two of us to take it down!"

"Let's give it a try!" Qin Lie's expression was filled with eagerness. "Since the two of us are only at the Refinement Realm, five of those six Rank Two spirit beasts have gone to pursue Tu Ze and Zhuo Qian, and there was only one Ice Soul Python that chased us down. It will be slightly difficult to take down this Ice Soul Python even if we work together, but it is not without hope, especially when it's an Ice Soul Python that has cultivated both ice and thunder!"

"Alright then, let's give it a try!" After a few seconds of ponderment, Gao Yu's expression too shook and showed excitement. "Do you want to be the main attacker or me?"

"I'll be it; you attack from the sides!"

Qin Lie sucked in a deep breath and took out the wooden sculpture. Channeling Heavenly Thunder Eradication, the cracking sound of electricity came from inside the wooden sculpture as fine streaks of electricity formed on top of the sculpture's head.

"Boom Boom!"

Explosive sounds of thunder resounded from inside his bones, and as if the blood and cells throughout his entire body were being activated. With the wooden sculpture in his hand, Qin Lie suddenly attacked the Ice Soul Python head on.

The Ice Soul Python let out a strange cry, opened its stinking mouth, and formed yet another silver ball of ice. The ball of ice, overflowing with chilliness and refracting a glaring icy light, whirled at him.

Qin Lie did not dodge. Waving the wooden sculpture at the ball of ice, the tightly woven electric net formed by the wooden sculpture shrank.

Each strand of lightning joined into a single beam and transformed into a thunderbolt the size of an arm, and it abruptly collided with the ball of ice above.

"Boom!"

The ball of ice suddenly exploded as pieces of ice flew at all direction. The thunderous energy inside exploded, and the scalding thunder wave engulfed Qin Lie.

"Boom Boom Boom!"

The sounds of thunder resounded from Qin Lie's body. It was the thunder's explosive energy inside the ball of ice flowing out as the ball exploded.

If Gao Yu was the main attacker, even if he knew from that the ball of ice was special, the thunder energy would still blast into him after he cracked the icy thunder ball's shell.

Gao Yu, who was in the same realm as Qin Lie, would definitely be hurt or even severely injured if that explosive thunder energy were to flow into his body. He would lose the ability to fight again.

However, Qin Lie had been cultivating the power of thunder and lightning for many years, and his body could withstand the invasion of thunder energy from the Ninth Heaven. His body had long been tempered to the peak of sturdiness, and he became a monster who could withstand being bombed with most types of thunder and lightning energy. That was why the explosive thunder energy could not even scratch him.

Quite the opposite, after the thunder exploded inside his body and the surges of slightly chilled thunder energy seeped in, it disappeared as he absorbed it all with his flesh and bones.

A refreshing and comfortable feeling invigorated him instead. He could obviously feel the increase of thunder energy inside his body.

He immediately realized that his judgment was correct. He was the best candidate to deal with this specific Ice Soul Python that would normally be deadly to the average martial practitioner!

"Fwoosh Fwoosh!"

Another icy thunder ball was blasted at his head. The Ice Soul Python gave a strange howl and actually looked to wrap Qin Lie with its pail-sized but nimbly twisting body.

"Gao Yu! Don't let it wrap around me!" Qin Lie yelled out loudly as he withdrew, and with the wave of a hand, he had formed yet another lightning and stabbed the icy thunder ball with immaculate accuracy.

When the icy thunder ball exploded, he immediately stopped retreating; instead, he moved forward to take on the second wave of thunder.

Explosions of thunder energy were accompanied by the booms of thunder. Rampant thunder energy surged into his body before it vanished in silence along with the extinguishing sound of thunder.

"Thunder and lightning. They may often be mentioned together, but they are in fact two different kinds of energy. Thunder is explosive sound, whereas lightning is a blaze of beams of electricity. The two energies are actually different, but they are often added to each other and can be found deep inside the nine heavens. When I cultivated Heavenly Thunder Eradication in the past, I have attracted more lightning than thunder energy, so my body's ability to accommodate the violent energy of thunder seemed to be slightly lacking..."

Sensing the power of thunder inside his body, he came to a careful understanding as his recognition of Heavenly Thunder Eradication became clearer and clearer.

Heavenly Thunder Eradication cultivated both thunder and lightning, combining the two most dominating and violent energies in the world into one. With lightning complementing the power of thunder and thunder complementing the power of lightning, it blended both energies together to form a terrifyingly powerful attack.

However, his cultivation of Heavenly Thunder Eradication for the past few years was the result of the gathered energy during a lightning storm. They consisted of mostly lightning energy, and their thunder energy was obviously much weaker.

The strange formation inside Ling Town's Herb Mountain could attract and gather lightning from the sky, then split and weaken it before conducting the energy into his body to temper his tendons, flesh, and blood.

The wild and explosive power of thunder would most likely cause a terrifying explosion the moment it landed, and this kind of power was... very hard to control and weaken.

Therefore, his cultivation of Heavenly Thunder Eradication was probably slanted towards the attraction and gathering of lightning energy and a lot less in regards to thunder.

Later on, when he detached himself from the shackles of Herb Mountain and went to train on his own inside the Arctic Mountain Range without relying on the strange formation inside Herb Mountain, his body was directly exposed to the sky and thus caused both thunder and lightning to fall on his body. That was how his body contained a portion of thunder energy.

However, compared to lightning energy, the thunder energy stored inside his body's acupoints, tendons, and bones were far, far weaker.

This caused him to use mostly lightning to attack when he fought with other people because he didn't have much thunder energy stored inside his body. This was also why his attacks were all comprised light blue lightning without the complementary violent and destructive power of thunder. Due to this factor, he was unable to unleash the true abilities of Heavenly Thunder Eradication.

"So that is how it is. I get it now."

Another icy thunder ball exploded, and another wave of thunder energy flooded him. The rampant and explosive thunder sank into his body, entering his acupoints, tendons, and bones. He quietly felt for the changes inside his body and gradually came to an understanding; he understood how he could unleash the true power of Heavenly Thunder Eradication.

"Thunder and lightning. Thunder and lightning. Thunder, and lightning!" The palms on his two hands pressed together into one. Blazing lightning interconnected at the center of his palms, and sounds of violent thunder roared out from inside his hands.

"Thunder Lightning Ball!"

A faint blue electrical ball formed from lightning slowly appeared at the center of his palm. The outer shell of the ball sparked with lightning, and there was roaring thunder alongside it within.

The fist-sized Thunder Lightning Ball gradually came into form. The eye-piercing faint blue electrical light and explosive sounds of thunder sent shudders into people's hearts.

Just like the icy thunder ball, its external shell was formed into a ball shape by lightning, and its interior contained the wild explosive energy of thunder!

"Boom!"

The Thunder Lightning Ball was thrown out. Quick as lightning like a bolt of electrical light, it instantly launched at the Ice Soul Python's head. Immediately after, lightning shot out and thunder energy exploded outwards.

The head of the Ice Soul Python was blasted bloody by the explosive thunder energy, and a hole pooling with blood and brain matter suddenly appeared.

The Rank Two spirit beast was actually blown up in one shot after the Thunder Lightning Ball made direct contact with its head.