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Thousands of snowflakes fluttered through the night sky, and the already cool evening temperature seemed to dip into the depths of a bitter winter, making people shiver uncontrollably.
The old woman was shrouded in cold air; her large hand reached directly for the giant, freezing the space in its path bit by bit with the thousands of falling snowflakes.
The giant roared up to the heavens. Although he couldn’t fly, when he stood up, his height nearly matched that of the old woman aloft in midair.
With one punch, he shattered the old woman’s hand of condensed spiritual energy, scattering countless ice shards through the air.
The giant crouched slightly and leaped straight up from the ground, shooting into the sky like a streak of light.
With a jump hundreds of meters high, his right fist tore through the air, bringing up endless waves of force, and struck directly towards the old woman.
The old woman’s face remained impassive as she slowly withdrew a dragon-head staff. As she gently tapped it on the ground,
space was instantly bound, and the surrounding snow and ice froze together, forming the shape of a shield.
The fist smashed hard upon the shield, and the sounds of "crack, crack" echoed all around.
Though the shield cracked under the blow, it ultimately withstood the punch.
The old woman tapped her dragon-head staff again, and a white light emanated from the dragon head atop the staff.
When the white light flickered, the snowflakes around her instantly coalesced into the form of an ice dragon, which roared furiously and launched a maelstrom with its claws toward the giant.
......…
Xu Zimei observed the spectacle in the sky and said to Xiao Guizi, "Go check who is in that carriage."
Xiao Guizi nodded, and together they walked towards the nearby carriage.
The young man named Chi Lei saw them coming and immediately stepped forward to block their path, frowning as he asked, "What do you fools want to do?"
"Stop calling everyone a fool; the Chi Family isn’t all that impressive," Xiao Guizi snorted coldly, pulling out a long staff from behind his back and attacking Chi Lei.
Xiao Guizi had now reached the pinnacle of the True Vein Realm and had cultivated the Great Emperor’s Technique that Xu Zimei had given him before.
Before they left the sect, Xu Zimei had specifically taken Xiao Guizi to change his weapon, replacing his previous Mysterious Tier weapon with a Chen Tier long staff.
Although Xiao Guizi’s combat strength couldn’t be considered invincible among his peers, he was at least considered among the ranks of talented disciples.
His innate talent wasn’t particularly impressive; his current achievements were actually built upon an accumulation of resources.
Xiao Guizi fought with Chi Lei. Although Chi Lei was a Martial Artist of the Empty Vein Realm, their bout seemed evenly matched.
Xu Zimei chuckled and stood in front of the carriage, speaking softly, "Is the person inside the carriage still not ready to come out?"
The carriage remained silent, while the Flying Horse at the side neighed a few "whinnies" in response.
Xu Zimei smiled, slowly drew the Tyrant Shadow from his back, and ignited the blade in roaring flames, chopping down directly towards the carriage.
"You dare," Chi Lei shouted in anxious fury from the side.
"Better take care of yourself first," Xiao Guizi laughed aloud, the long staff in his hand whirling fiercely, creating a dense shadow like overlapping mountains.
The sound of "boom, boom, boom" exploded in the air, and the crimson carriage was split into pieces by the slash.
A white figure flew out from the wreckage of the carriage.
This was a woman dressed in a purple long gown, her hair snowy white, and her pupils a deep shade of blue.
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The woman’s demeanor was indifferent; she was not only cold in temperament, resembling an ice maiden but even a faint cold current swirled around her.
"The pinnacle of the Empty Vein Realm," Xu Zimei gazed at the woman in the purple dress and smiled faintly.
"Who are you?" the woman asked in a cool tone, as numerous purple ribbons unraveled from her body.
Xu Zimei smiled and with a slash of his Tyrant Shadow, a rift was cleaved through the Line between Heaven and Earth.
The woman’s brows furrowed slightly, her purple ribbons danced in the air, condensing together to block Xu Zimei’s attack.
Immediately after, countless ribbons transformed into sharp swords, all hurtling towards Xu Zimei.
"To possess such strength at such a young age, you must be the Saintess of the Chi Family this generation," Xu Zimei said with a light laugh.
The Tyrant Shadow in his hand trembled slightly, as boundless flames spread from the blade, with rolling Heavenly Thunder enshrouding faint purple Thunderbolt, detonating at the edge of the sky.
The woman looked serious, her ribbons already shattered into pieces by the explosions, the chill around her growing denser as she took a few steps backward.
"Let’s end this, I’m not interested in wasting time playing with you," Xu Zimei said indifferently.
As his words fell, the aura of the Esteem Vein Realm’s pinnacle surged forth, the air around exploded, and with a step, ripples spread through space, placing him directly behind the woman.
The woman in the purple dress cried out in surprise, unable to react in time, and was struck on the back by Xu Zimei, falling from mid-air.
"If you dare to kill her, then wait to face the wrath of our Chi Family," Chi Lei bellowed furiously.
He tried to save the woman, but Xiao Guizi held him back, leaving him unable to escape.
As Tyrant Shadow’s icy blade touched the woman’s equally cold neck, her gaze, besides its usual coldness, was filled with astonishment.
She herself had not expected to be defeated so quickly, given that she had always been proud among her peers on the Eastern Continent.
Whether it was talent, family background, or personal strength, she never considered herself inferior to any peers, even surpassing many.
Yet now, facing this stranger of the same age, she had not lasted a single move, and many even stronger techniques she hadn’t had a chance to use, rendering her defeated.
Meanwhile, on another side of the sky, the battle had also reached a fever pitch, and the old crone had already suppressed the Giant.
The elder woman was a veteran in the Emperor Pulse Realm with extensive combat experience, and her dragon-headed cane was an extraordinary object.
While the Giant’s realm was higher than the elder woman’s, likely at the level of the Saint Vein Realm,
unfortunately, he seemed to have suffered a serious internal injury, using half of his strength to suppress the injury, leading to a severe lack of combat power.
At this moment, the old crone’s aura surged, and snowflakes began to fall slowly throughout the entire region.
In her hand, the dragon-headed cane glowed with endless radiance, and the freezing snow condensed into a spear.
At the tip of the spear, the sharp edge and chill were gathering, transforming into a streak of light; the crone poured all her strength into the spear, aiming to end the battle with a single strike.
As the spear tore through the air with an unstoppable force, the elder’s Essence, Qi, and Spirit also became incredibly weak at that moment.
Just then, the world suddenly darkened, and a blade’s light accompanied by a low murmur emerged on the horizon.
"Way of Inquiry, the Ninth Form, Line between Heaven and Earth."
The blade’s light swept up endless sharpness, shattering the space completely, and in that moment, the elder woman’s gaze was fixed.
The heavens and the earth split open.
