Chapter 167 The Wrath of the Samoyed Sword

Knowing that Qiao Yanshen had arrived, Shen Lixia could now confidently entrust her back to him. After exchanging a smile with him, she turned around and tightly gripped Liu Huo. Behind her, chaos reigned, the sounds of weapons clashing mingling together, almost turning into a pot of porridge.

She wanted to add fuel to the fire, ensuring that Emperor Taihui kept as many people as possible.

After the boy's figure vanished, several meters of space opened up around him. The other students looked around and saw either strong winds or floods; none of them dared to approach.

Qiao Yanshen raised his eyes, bowed slightly, and said, "There is still some time. Although it is not a formal sparring match, I would still appreciate guidance from Senior Sister Yue."

"Junior Sister is too modest." Yue Qifeng flicked his wrist, and the sword blade swung forward, pointing directly at Qiao Yanshen's brow. "No need for formalities. Let me see how much you've improved over the past few years!"

The blades clashed, producing a resounding clang.

A formidable opponent.

With a flick of the sword tip, spiritual energy coiled around her like silk threads, and Qiao Yanshen retreated slightly, her black hair billowing in the air. Bloodstains still clung to her face, and her clothes were stained with bright red, a shocking sight. A chill swept over her with the clash, accompanying her seemingly light yet sharp swordplay; she didn't resemble a dashing immortal at all, her usual gentle demeanor completely gone.

The exposed section of her wrist was as pale as snow, more like a ghost emerging from a crack in some secluded valley.

Yue Qifeng had not sensed her previous sword intent, so he was unaware of the change, only feeling an overwhelming coldness. He had heard that she was a student of True Monarch Mingji, so she must have learned her master's renowned Frost Sword Intent. Coincidentally, the wind is even more fierce than ice and snow, and if it is carved for a long time, it can also change its form.

She had no shortage of patience to wear down Qiao Yanshen. Countless blades of wind accompanied her, and in the blink of an eye, their blades had clashed more than ten times. With each attack and defense, the sharp sound of the wind moved with her, like a tamed beast. Outside the battlefield, Yue Qifeng was always kind to people; but once in battle, she would never back down.

Qiao Yanshen watched intently, his gaze following each of her sword strikes, his wrist adjusting accordingly. She had already mentally analyzed and dissected most of the force of her previous, unstoppable strike, and her next swing carried a similar momentum. Yue Qifeng differed from Xie Chunan, who pursued swift victory and almost recklessly used her spiritual energy; Yue Qifeng, however, was remarkably patient.

Even though her sword intent is named Gale, she prefers tactics that use softness to overcome hardness. But if Qiao Yanshen tries to maneuver, she will relentlessly pursue him, forcing him to be extremely cautious and defend with all his might with a fierce offensive.

They were playing a game of competition, but the sharp, deadly intent within them was not an act.

Yue Qifeng felt increasingly exhilarated as the fight progressed. Having reached this level of sword cultivation, few could rival her in swordsmanship. Her master merely suppressed her in terms of cultivation realm and occasionally offered a few pointers. Most disciples of the sect who reached the Nascent Soul stage were already capable of standing on their own.

Qiao Yanshen was clearly quite interesting, more to her liking than anyone else on the field. They tacitly refrained from using their full strength, leisurely exchanging moves—a leisurely exchange that would result in death from the slightest misstep.

“Your sword has something different from everyone else’s…” Yue Qifeng leaned back, dodging the blade that was aimed at his throat. “What is it… Ah, I know.”

She raised the corners of her lips and smiled as she blocked the sword's edge once more: "You want to kill me."

"Likewise," the young man replied gently. "Isn't Senior Sister Yue thinking the same thing?"

As the two figures drew closer, Yue Qifeng finally noticed Qiao Yanshen's expression.

She had been focused on the fight and hadn't paid much attention. But now, the heavy, cold stench of blood assaulted her, like a chilling wind that went straight to her bones. Even she was startled, and a chilling fear rose in her heart, as if ice was forming and climbing up her spine inch by inch.

You only feel this way when you're being targeted by some supple and silent predator.

Beneath her disheveled black hair, her eyes, as clear as shimmering lake water, were brimming with laughter. She was actually smiling, a trace of blood still stained the corner of her lips. Her features possessed a gentle grace that only a water town could nurture, and her smile was incredibly beautiful, like a white peony blooming in the morning light.

If it weren't for the silent, flowing sword energy shattering her protective aura and leaving her right arm covered in blood, one would likely forget that they were still in the midst of a battle.

Behind the pure white petals, a snake hissed, baring its fangs. The surrounding air suddenly turned cold, and shards of ice condensed again, growing from the wound and sealing most of her body, like a poison that gnawed at her very bones.

Yue Qifeng was prepared. He channeled his spiritual power and shouted, "Break!" The ice covering half of his upper body was shattered by the wind blades.

She smiled slightly, thinking that her guess was indeed correct.

If it is Mingji Zhenjun's Frosty Sword Intent, then it will be easy to handle. Qiao Yanshen is not the real Yan Xueya, and since their strengths are comparable, her sword intent, though terrifying, is not unbreakable. She is also well-versed in the way of the sword, and naturally has carefully studied this sword intent based on ice.

The next moment, however, the sound of gurgling water could be heard.

Yue Qifeng groaned, his hand went numb, and the sword almost slipped from his grasp.

The shards of ice that had been cut didn't disappear; instead, they transformed into trickling streams of water, forming soft blades that hovered lightly around her, piercing her one by one. Taking advantage of her momentary lapse in attention, a water blade, following the incoming sword, pierced through her wrist first.

Even though it didn't shatter the protective spiritual energy, it was enough to distract her.

At the same time, Yue Qifeng's sword narrowly touched Qiao Yanshen's neck. They stared at each other silently, their eyes brighter than ever before, both slightly out of breath, sweat trickling down their cheeks.

There's too much haste at this moment to determine who will win or lose. Suddenly, a bell rang from above, and then the illusion collapsed layer by layer, like paper being peeled away. Qiao Yanshen lowered his eyes, sheathed his sword first, and said softly:

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Sister."

Yue Qifeng took a step back, and the long sword in her hand vanished like water, turning into a white light that disappeared into her dantian. She laughed heartily and waved her hands repeatedly.

"I can't accept that title. It was Junior Sister Qiao who instructed me. To have met such a worthy opponent makes this trip worthwhile." With that, Yue Qifeng gripped his wrist and stretched vigorously, his bones cracking all over his body.

They fought with terrifying ferocity, each move ruthless and deadly, yet afterwards they chatted and laughed like ordinary peers.

"Senior Sister's Gale Sword Intent has also broadened my horizons." Qiao Yanshen pondered for a moment, "A senior in the sect followed the same path as you, but it seems to be quite different. The wind is truly unpredictable."

“Water is the same,” Yue Qifeng praised. “I never imagined that you not only inherited the Frost Sword Intent, but could also transform it at will.”

A head popped out from the side at some point, blinked, and exclaimed exaggeratedly, "Wow, it's a mutual flattery session!"

What business, what mutual flattery? Yue Qifeng was completely confused. Just as he was about to ask, Qiao Yanshen laughed and said, "Junior sister is talking nonsense again."

She raised her hand and pinched Shen Lixia's face. After a moment, as if she felt that this was not enough, she cupped the boy's face with both hands and kneaded it like dough.

Shen Lixia was rubbing her hands repeatedly by Qiao Yanshen, looking bewildered, and mumbled indistinctly, "Senior sister's hands are so cold."

She raised her hand and placed it on the back of the young man's hand, carefully warming it with her cheek and palm.

Seeing the bloodstains on Qiao Yanshen's body, Shen Lixia couldn't help but frown again and cast a spell to cleanse herself.

—It's best if it's someone else's blood...

After emerging from the water mirror, Yan Xueya scanned the crowd with her divine sense, but paused slightly at a certain point.

She didn't pause for long, speaking before the others realized what was going on: "Congratulations to everyone present who is left behind, for qualifying for the next round of the competition."

After saying that, Yan Xueya's hand flashed with light, splitting into several beams that disappeared into the unique tokens that everyone was using to participate in the competition.

She didn't say before the competition that killing was forbidden because the grand competition gathered the world's talents, and the Water Mirror was a new magical artifact. Many people would quickly realize this loophole and treat it as the real battlefield. Although many of the disciples were powerful, most of them had never experienced true life and death, so it was a good opportunity for them to hone their skills in the chaotic ancient wilderness.

but......

"Return to your camps. The next round will begin on the morning of the full moon, and will still be held here." Yan Xueya paused, "Please take good care of yourselves and prepare yourselves to fight for the championship."

The crowd below gradually dispersed. This time, the water mirror was different from before; to outsiders, it initially appeared as just white mist. Only at the very end did the mist dissipate, revealing the scene of the disciples battling each other.

However, it didn't detract from the excitement of the process. For example, one young man, who had lost all his teeth, came out writhing like a maggot, panting heavily.

After everyone had left, Yan Xueya's expression gradually turned cold. She raised her hand and made a hand seal, her figure flashing as she appeared before the still illusory water mirror. The others, realizing something was amiss, all followed.

"What's going on?" Yi Xiaohan stepped onto the water mirror and saw her with her head down and silent, which made him feel a little uneasy.

Yan Xueya touched the water mirror with her hand, and suddenly heard a rippling sound. The illusory water surface in front of her was cut open, and something slowly appeared on the inside.

As the water receded, the others saw what had floated to the surface and couldn't help but frown. Someone whispered in horror, "How could this be..."

"Who did this? It's clearly a spell... How can we escape—"

Some even spoke with hostility: "Is this how Emperor Taihui treated his guests? Could there be some flaw in your magic...?"

Chi Yueying's face was already deathly pale, and upon hearing this, her heart tightened even more. She had set up the array within the water mirror; it was meant to send the person out once it sensed the exhaustion of their spiritual energy. There shouldn't have been a problem...

However, the headless corpse in front of them, dressed in the attire of some unknown sect, did not appear out of thin air.

Which student died in the water mirror?

"Even the Nine-Branched True Lord can make mistakes."

"How are we going to explain this! We can't just say this person came from some unknown little sect, or is some rogue cultivator, and that nothing happened..."

The voices of doubt from those around them grew louder and louder, like a buzzing of bees that made one's heart race, as if a sting was about to come down.

Chi Yueying was never good at handling crowded situations, and now she lowered her head even further, her wrists trembling slightly.

Although Yi Xiaohan understood their urgency, he couldn't stand the sight of them suddenly targeting one person and making them the target of everyone's criticism. He shouted, "Enough! We haven't even started investigating yet, and you're already complaining. What kind of behavior is this!"

Some cultivators stubbornly tried to argue with her. Suddenly, a chill swept over them, and in the blink of an eye, a lock of hair was shaved off the man who was about to speak.

Yan Xueya slowly turned around and said in a deep voice, "Until the matter of my sect's Immortal Venerable is investigated, you have no right to interfere."

The cultivator turned pale, trembling as he shut his mouth, daring not to say anything more.

The headless corpse lay on the water mirror. Yan Xueya crouched down to touch it, but felt a familiar aura spreading from her fingertips. The next moment, Shuangtian suddenly broke free from the shackles of divine consciousness, as if bearing all her anger of the past hundred years, revealing its sword form!

The silver-white longsword gleamed, its coldness sharp and its killing intent intense. The others also sensed this strange yet incredibly familiar aura, and their expressions changed.

The Frost Sky Sword has always been by the side of True Monarch Mingji, slaying countless demons. Besides being incomparably sharp, it is also a spiritual sword capable of punishing evil and discerning demons. It has been with Yan Xueya since he was formed and sealed, and over time, it has become spiritually connected with its master, sharing a hatred for the demon race.

The fact that it appears without needing to be summoned says one thing.

The rustling sounds, like a thousand or ten thousand bookworms crawling, their shells rubbing against each other, their tentacles wriggling, slowly, bit by bit, emanated from the corpse before them.

It was as if something parasitizing inside was about to burst out...

Suddenly, a surge of black mist erupted from the corpse and wrapped around the woman's wrist.

Some cried out in alarm and retreated in panic. Others drew their swords, pointing them at Yan Xueya, fearing they wouldn't have time to kill her before she was assimilated by the demonic energy.

Seeing the demonic energy gnawing and drilling into her skin as if it were alive, Yan Xueya frowned, quickly reached out and grabbed the constantly buzzing Frost Sky Sword, and slashed fiercely!

The dense, serpentine demonic energy was instantly frozen by the chill, shattered and dissipated, not even having time to extend further.

The name she had crossed out on the list she had seen earlier flashed into her mind again.

...It shouldn't be her.

It couldn't possibly be Qiao Yanshen. Although she had noticed a change in her own state of mind during the battle—

But she is not someone who can be swayed by her own mind. I have already said I trust her, how can I have any doubts?

After the demonic energy dissipated, Yan Xueya said coldly:

“A demon spy infiltrated Taihui and took the opportunity to kill this person.”