Chapter 186: Stop for a moment while you're running through the night.

Cold sweat trickled down her back. Shen Lixia took a few steps back, hearing her heart pounding like a drum.

It's not just "Nascent Soul Realm and above"...

This is the aura of a Nascent Soul cultivator!

No demonic energy surged forth, indicating that she had mastered her power to a high degree. Shen Lixia, who was only at the early stage of the Nascent Soul Realm, could not possibly discern which specific stage of the Divine Transformation Realm she had reached; he was only horrified by the overwhelming chill.

"I didn't expect you to come here first, but it's good... it gives me another chance to meet an old friend."

Luo You casually traced the tip of her sword across the snow. There were no hard bricks or stones here, only ice and snow, so the sound was faint and almost inaudible. But the movement was very familiar—Qiao Yanshen would occasionally tap the ground lightly with the tip of her sword before drawing it. Coupled with the way she addressed her, Shen Lixia almost immediately sensed the resentment hidden beneath the intense killing intent.

This person must hate himself terribly.

Or rather, Hua Ying, who was known as "Ling Guang Jun" in her previous life.

But why did she say that she "went first"? It sounds very vague.

In an instant, before she could think, the sword's edge flashed past her eyes like a white ribbon. Shen Lixia raised her sword to block, and flames coiled around her with almost no effort.

The elegant facade she wore in front of everyone was now torn away by his own hands. As he drew closer, the crimson in her eyes shone even brighter, seemingly filled with excitement, radiating a ruthless glint. The sword was caught by force, yet the shockwaves rippled outwards like a raging storm, shattering the rubble on the ground into dust. A hissing sound reached Shen Lixia's ears; glancing slightly to the side, she immediately felt a surge of shortness of breath rising in her chest.

Wisps of black mist were constantly trying to erode her, like long snakes, but they were swallowed up by the flames before they could even make contact.

Unlike his opponent's tension, Luo You's expression was as if he were toying with a bird; his sword carried no sword energy, clearly just a test. Shen Lixia, however, had already sensed the power within it—

We must never engage in a direct confrontation.

She has surpassed an entire realm, but she will definitely be at a disadvantage in just a few moves.

Retreat is the best course of action.

After reaching a conclusion, a scorching aura suddenly surged from the boy's body. Unlike the raging flames formed from spiritual energy just now, it was even hotter and purer, like a wind from the scorching desert, carrying thousands of golden sands. This made Luo You instinctively feel shocked, and his mind was briefly terrified, flickering like a candle flame for a few moments.

She smiled, quickly recovering her composure. "Divine fire. It's a pity that in the past, I probably wouldn't have been worthy of your attention, but now..."

The person in my memory always wore bright, dazzling red, as if this color was created for her, and only she could be the perfect match for it.

She is a very harsh person. It would have been fine if she had always been held in a high position, but unfortunately she has now fallen to the bottom.

She also learned to disguise herself, and her personality became less annoying.

"Too weak!"

The clang of swords clashing rang out, and a chilling coldness slowly and methodically shattered the surging heat, completely suppressing it.

"I'm curious, what does it feel like to have a bird's wing broken? Lord Lingguang, you are a master of music, so even a scream would be quite interesting."

Another sword thrust came without warning. Shen Lixia hurriedly tried to block it, and her hand was immediately ripped open with bloody gashes. The metal and the torn flesh were tightly intertwined, quickly becoming stained with a warm, bright red, making her grit her teeth.

no the same.

Despite many similarities, the lack of emotion imbued her swordsmanship with a ruthless and unpredictable sharpness, bordering on cruelty. The next moment, the blade abruptly changed direction, piercing through Shen Lixia's wrist in an instant.

The boy let out a muffled groan of pain.

As blood splattered, the Blazing Sword fell to the ground in the snow. Luo You reached out to grab her pierced wrist, wanting to inflict more pain.

The moment the two touched, golden and red flames wove into vines, growing wildly, wrapping around Luo You's wrist along his fingertips, and in the blink of an eye, they had climbed up to his forearm!

The body formed from demonic energy was instantly burned away, making it appear even more sinister and terrifying. Luo You frowned and quickly retreated.

It was a success.

Ignoring everything else, Shen Lixia was overcome by dizziness caused by massive blood loss in a short period of time. Her lips trembled slightly as she summoned back Liu Huo, barely managed to step onto the sword, and hurried down the mountain.

Splattered blood flowed on the pristine snow, blooming into vibrant flowers.

Since Luo You was able to enter Frostblade Peak, he must have obtained someone's token.

Yan Xueya would never hand over the token to this person, so she probably took Qiao Yanshen's—this person had already been to the tower prison, and her target was the protective array on Frostblade Peak.

It is unknown whether there are any demon spies on the other peaks.

Despite the chaotic flashes before her eyes, the sword remained remarkably steady, like a sliver of starlight, piercing the sky with chilling precision. Shen Lixia knew she absolutely could not slow down at this moment; the chilling aura behind her was relentless, and if she hesitated for even a moment, she would be overtaken.

The weaker one is, the calmer one must be. The young man frowned, controlling his sword while gathering spiritual energy at his fingertips, raising his arm to aim at the sky!

A brilliant beam of golden-red light shot straight into the sky, bursting into several dazzling sparks.

This way, she can attract others more quickly and also guide the immortals who will arrive later.

"It seems we've encountered the worst-case scenario."

At the same time, Qiao Yanshen, who was guarding the border, looked up, her eyes illuminated by the firelight. After speaking, she clenched her fist and silently gazed in the direction of Frostblade Peak.

They couldn't see clearly, only the shimmering light on the silvery-white mountainside, like a silent deity guarding the border of Emperor Taihui. Frostblade Peak was the furthest from their side, and even if she spotted Shen Lixia's signal, it would probably take her some time to get there.

The Frostblade Peak token seemed to be ordained by the heavens, placing Shen Lixia in the most dangerous position from the very beginning, and she accepted it.

My junior sister and I are about the same in this respect...

Qiao Yanshen sighed softly.

At this moment, Wu Zhuyue also asked with some concern, "Senior Sister Qiao, shall we go to Frostblade Peak?"

Her hand was already on the scabbard, waiting for Qiao Yanshen's command to depart. Wu Zhuyue didn't feel she had any right to take initiative; she was merely a prisoner, her sentence delayed, still able to try and salvage the situation. But her senior sisters spoke so earnestly, their words filled with a power she had once yearned for but never truly possessed...

Therefore, Wu Zhuyue believed they could definitely do it. Even as prisoners, she was determined to try her best to save them. Whoever gave her an order, she would obey without hesitation...

In the midst of the fierce exchange, the boy bit his lower lip, feeling as if something inside him was about to crumble.

But Qiao Yanshen smiled and said, "Junior Sister Wu, you may go if you wish, there's no need to confirm with me. If I said I would stay here, would you just wait here?"

Wu Zhuyue was taken aback. “I can take Senior Sister Qiao with me. Senior Sister doesn’t have a sword right now, and her spiritual power is sealed. I… can help her.” She gripped the hilt of the sword tightly, as if this weapon was the only source of security for her, even though it was the Minghong Sword that had repeatedly drawn out her inner demons.

Besides this knife, what else can she rely on?

"What do you plan to do next?" Qiao Yanshen didn't look at her, and his voice was calm. "Being a demon spy is a much more serious crime than sneaking out during confinement."

Sneaking out during confinement... A fleeting memory flashed through her mind, bringing a touch of warmth. Wu Zhuyue's gaze softened slightly, her fingertips seemingly brushing against the cool sap of the flower petals once more. If only time could turn back then, if only she could choose again...

The chill emanating from the Ziminghong Blade instantly dispelled the warmth in her heart.

If you had to choose again, would you not hesitate?

After a long pause, Wu Zhuyue finally said, "I will accept the punishment."

"Who made you do this, Luo You? I can't imagine why you'd risk your life for her, Junior Sister Wu. Or did something happen after we first met?"

Wu Zhuyue was alarmed by her overly keen intuition. "...There's nothing there. I'm not working for Luo You either."

Come to think of it, she hadn't seen her master yet. Although she had been used as a pawn by her master, those past memories remained tightly coiled in her heart, tightening around her and bringing a suffocatingly tender feeling. At least Si Liuhua had never harmed her, and had even given up on letting her continue to break the formation.

"Is that so?" Qiao Yanshen didn't press further. "I want to wait here. If Junior Sister Wu wants to help, then go ahead. There's still room for maneuver. I hope you won't betray your own heart again."

-

Shen Lixia is fleeing through the night sky.

She had been waiting for the signal for an unknown amount of time, at least the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. She simply couldn't spare any extra spiritual energy to heal her wounds, so she could only let the blood flow freely and concentrate on controlling her sword.

Strangely enough, Luo You wasn't in a hurry to catch up with her. Shen Lixia initially thought it was because she was fast, but then she realized that a Nascent Soul cultivator had already mastered spatial techniques. If she couldn't catch up for a while, she could say it was due to the divine fire. But the fact that she was still keeping a distance meant it was intentional.

Intentionally torment her? That's truly despicable.

Unable to fathom Luo You's intentions, Shen Lixia could only continue rushing towards the agreed-upon border. At this moment, Luo You seemed to finally tire of the situation, raising his hand to condense demonic energy into a longsword, which he then slashed down in mid-air.

She was about to end the chase.

The sword energy tore through the air, its silver light dazzling, like a shower of stars falling from the sky. Shen Lixia immediately changed direction, but still couldn't dodge in time. She had no choice but to stop her sword and turn around, intending to take the blow with all her might.

She crushed the talisman, and immediately a longbow appeared in her hand. Divine fire condensed into an arrow, and before the bow could be fully drawn, it was suddenly released.

The dazzling sword light was only a few feet away from her, coming with overwhelming force.

With a deafening roar, the immense sound of a boulder collapsing was almost ear-piercing, making everyone's heart skip a beat. The arrow exploded, its flames illuminating the night sky and sending up a thousand waves of heat.

—What's next?

impossible.

A shout interrupted Shen Lixia's thoughts:

"Senior Sister Shen!"

She looked up and saw the array patterns hanging in front of her, slowly dispersing. The giant rocks summoned from the array patterns were reduced to dust by the fierce attack and scattered with the wind.

A gentle coolness enveloped her, slowly soothing the pain and healing all her wounds. Shen Lixia turned her head and saw the familiar faces, and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Luo You, whose attack had been intercepted, glanced at the approaching group and smiled indifferently: "What other tricks do you have up your sleeve?"

As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Shen Lixia and the others flying off on their swords in a certain direction. She had initially thought they were there to intercept her, but it seemed that wasn't the case. Luo You slightly lowered her sword and continued chasing after them.

If it's a game of tag, she's quite patient and can play it to the end.

After what had just happened, some students thought it was some kind of event and were drawn out to watch the excitement. Luo You glanced at them, her figure enveloped in soft mist, disappearing into the night.

I wonder when the immortal venerable one within this sect will arrive.

After traversing several mountain peaks, several vines suddenly sprouted from the surroundings, binding Luo You and causing him to abruptly stop. The next moment, all the vines snapped, and the grass at their source was drained of all its spiritual energy, turning a scorched black.

Then came the annoying sword formation again, the overlapping spiritual energy forming a cage of sword energy, blocking her once more. Just as she broke through the sword formation, the blade light suddenly shone brightly, and the rolling killing intent, accompanied by the majestic roar of a tiger, intertwined into a sharp golden light.

Luo You broke through one after another, but in the end he inexplicably became too lazy to raise his hand, his heart filled with displeasure.

So annoying.

Like mosquitoes on a summer night, their tiny buzzing and tickling sounds weren't harmful, but they could still disturb any peaceful sleep. The attacks came one after another, wave after wave, and the figures rushing ahead were no longer discernible in the chaotic light.

Even the clear moonlight became disturbing.

But I can't kill them all here.

After an unknown amount of time, those people suddenly stopped moving. Luo You paused as well, and then several sword energies condensed in mid-air.

These sword energies were almost within reach, about to pierce through the figures in mid-air. Shen Lixia clenched her fists, the increasingly close and icy aura forcing her to hold her breath, feeling her blood rush to her head.

Just as blood was about to be drawn, the clamor of the wind suddenly fell silent because of a soft and familiar voice from below.

"Luo You".

Before Luo You could even process what was happening, her sword and instincts rushed towards the person below. It was too fast, almost impatient—her body, which had been filled with endless cold, suddenly felt a long-lost burning sensation, as if she had flesh and blood again, intertwining and connecting, growing uncontrollably.

A pure white light, like scattered silk, draped over the young man's shoulders. Luo You lowered his eyes, and their gazes met.

Under the tranquil moonlight, her skin appeared exceptionally pale, and her eyes were gentle.

The light shone into my pupils, making them dazzle with the same blue hue.

I hate it.

Her consciousness kept telling her that she hated this person.

And a strange, struggling impulse was quietly whispering:

She called my name again.

Luo You shook his head, decisively severing the sliver of hope that had sprung up from an unfounded resurgence.

She said, "You're wrong, you never used to call me that."

Qiao Yanshen smiled and said, "It's alright. I didn't come here to reminisce. It's enough that you stopped for me for a moment."

Luo You's expression froze.

The next moment, Qiao Yan took a deep breath and shouted:

"Now, Master!"

The sword energy that was originally aimed at the boys was easily crushed, and in its place was the protection formed by the vast spiritual power.

The frost and snow came in a chilling, overwhelming manner.

-----------------------

Author's note: Mom—!

(wrong.)