The prying aura outside the mountain academy pierced the relatively peaceful cultivation atmosphere of Qīfèng Mountain Academy like an icy needle. The moment Lin Feng's "Wind Listening Technique" sensed that trace of sinister and chaotic energy, a sharp cold light flashed in Líng Xuě's ice blue eyes. Without any hesitation, she moved, her figure drifting like a weightless snowflake to Lin Feng's side, her jade hand casually resting on his shoulder.
"Contain your aura, guard your Dantian, be like a stubborn rock." A thought, as cold and sharp as an ice line, directly entered Lin Feng's mind, not through sound, but through a more profound transmission of energy. Lin Feng's heart tightened, and he immediately did as he was told. He circulated the "Ice Soul Condensing Origin Method" with all his might, locking that nascent qi sensation firmly in the depths of his Dantian. His pores closed, his breathing became faint, as if he had truly transformed into a stone without any life force. His senses were forcibly suppressed into a state of inward focus, daring not to extend outward even an inch. He understood that the enemy was likely not to be trifled with, and Líng Xuě's action was to protect him, preventing him from becoming a target due to his exposed aura.
Almost as soon as he contained his aura, Líng Xuě's demeanor changed drastically! It was no longer the contained coldness of her usual self, but a terrifying pressure like an ancient ice mountain collapsing, or a glacier rolling back! A wave of pale blue cold energy, visible to the naked eye, emanated from her, instantly enveloping the entire courtyard!
*Crackling...*
The white sand in the courtyard was covered with a layer of solid ice at a visible speed. The branches and leaves of the old plum tree were laden with crystalline ice fringes, and even the mist in the air was frozen into tiny ice crystals that rustled down. The temperature plummeted, as if instantly shifting from early autumn to the polar winter!
"Cowards who hide their heads and tails, since you're here, why be so secretive?" Líng Xuě's voice was not loud, but it carried a strange penetrative power, clearly directed towards the direction in the mountain forest where the probing aura had come from. Each word seemed to contain extreme sword intent, causing Lin Feng, hiding in the dark, to feel a sharp pain in his very soul.
Deep in the mountain forest, from the serene shadows, came a hoarse, unpleasant cackle like that of a night owl.
"Heh heh... As expected of the current generation's 'Ice Phoenix' of the Ling family, your senses are indeed sharp."
Before the voice even faded, three shadow-like figures detached silently from the treetop shadows in different directions, forming a pincer formation and blocking the entrance to the courtyard. All three were clad in tight black night-clothes, wearing bizarre masks that only revealed their eyes. The masks were adorned with distorted dark red patterns, like dried bloodstains. The aura emanating from them was cold and chaotic, carrying a bloodthirsty ferocity, originating from the same source as the icy trace sensed in the hospital corridor that night, but ten times stronger! Especially the one in the middle, tall and thin, with eyes like a venomous snake, surrounded by a nauseating bloody fiendish aura. His energy fluctuations were obscure and powerful, and the pressure he exerted on Lin Feng was subtly approaching that of Master Wolf, Gāo Kūn, from that night!
"Blood Fiend Sect?" Líng Xuě's gaze swept over the three, lingering for a moment on the mask patterns of the tall, thin man in the middle. Her voice, laced with ice, carried a hint of disgust. "When did you maggots, who only dare to crawl in the gutters, presume to peep into my Ling family's territory?"
"Miss Ling speaks too harshly." The tall, thin man in black spoke sinisterly, his voice like scraping iron. "My three brothers are merely following orders to ask Miss Ling for something."
"What is it?"
"A Seed that should not exist in this world." The tall, thin man's gaze, like a tangible poison stinger, bypassed Líng Xuě and precisely locked onto the direction where Lin Feng was hiding behind her!
"Not long ago, the source point in the North Star Building was accidentally triggered, and a precious Seed was lost. We tracked its residual aura, and it finally led us here. Miss Ling, hand him over, and we will leave immediately without further disturbance."
Lin Feng's heart constricted violently! They were indeed here for the North Star Building incident! And their target was himself, this unexpected Seed! Líng Xuě knew this all along? She sent him to the abandoned factory district not only to test him but also to confirm the movements of this force?
Upon hearing this, Líng Xuě's expression remained unchanged, as if she had anticipated it.
"In my Ling family's domain, there are no Seeds, only guests of mine, Líng Xuě. Get lost."
The last word, "Get lost," exploded like a cracking ice river, imbued with unquestionable authority and killing intent. The cold energy in the courtyard instantly intensified, the solid ice on the ground spread, even creeping towards the feet of the three black-clothed figures!
"You refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit!" The tall, thin man's eyes sharpened. He knew reconciliation was impossible. "Attack! Capture that brat, kill without mercy!"
Before his voice faded, the two black-clothed men beside him roared simultaneously. Turbid crimson qi erupted from their bodies, like two bloody lightning bolts, they lunged at Líng Xuě from left and right! Their movements were as fast as ghosts, their fingers formed claws, wreathed with corrosive Blood Fiend energy, tearing through the air with a piercing sound!
As for the tall, thin man himself, his figure flickered, as if merging into the shadows, bypassing the frontal assault, and heading directly towards Lin Feng's hiding spot! His target was crystal clear!
"You court death!"
Líng Xuě snorted coldly. Facing the pincer attack from both sides, she advanced instead of retreating! With a light lift of her fair hand, her fingers together formed a sword, erupting with a brilliant, sapphire-like icy light!
"Ice Phoenix Slash!"
A condensed, crescent-shaped blue ice blade appeared out of thin air, carrying a soul-freezing chill. It struck faster than the incoming attack, meeting the black-clothed man on the left!
Its speed was far beyond the opponent's lunge!
The black-clothed man's eyes widened in horror. In a panic, he crossed his arms to block, his Blood Fiend energy surging wildly!
*Shrieeek—!*
Like a hot knife through butter, the blue ice blade cut through his protective Blood Fiend energy without obstruction, slicing through his arms! There was no scream, only a grating sound of freezing! The black-clothed man's arms were instantly encased in ice, then shattered into pieces, turning into ice powder! The rest of the impact from the ice blade struck his chest, sending him flying backward. He crashed through a tree as thick as a bowl, and upon landing, he had completely transformed into an ice sculpture, devoid of life!
A one-hit kill!
Almost simultaneously as the ice blade was unleashed, Líng Xuě flicked her left sleeve, and a gentle yet extremely cold current of energy swept towards the black-clothed man on the right. The man felt his body tighten, his movements instantly sluggish, as if trapped in a bog of ice. His fierce claw attack became soft and powerless.
Líng Xuě didn't even glance at him. Her figure vanished from her original spot like an illusion and reappeared in front of the tall, thin man who was lunging at Lin Feng!
"Your opponent is me."
Her tone was calm, yet carried the authority of judgment.
The tall, thin man's pupils contracted sharply. He clearly hadn't expected Líng Xuě's power to be so terrifying, instantly killing one of his subordinates. But he was also a ruthless character. He let out a fierce roar, and the Blood Fiend energy around him surged, condensing into a ferocious, bloody phantom of a ghoul's head behind him!
"Blood Fiend Soul Devour!"
He thrust out both palms. Dense bloody fiendish energy surged towards Líng Xuě like a raging tide. Wherever it passed, even the air emitted a corrosive sizzling sound!
Líng Xuě's expression remained unchanged. Blue light gathered on her fingertips again. This time, it was no longer an ice blade, but a slowly rotating, exquisitely beautiful ice lotus. The ice lotus appeared slow, but it contained the ultimate law of freezing all things. It gently floated towards the monstrous bloody fiendish energy.
*Boom!*
Ice and blood collided. There was no earth-shattering roar, only a strange sound of annihilation and freezing. Where the blue ice lotus passed, the bloody fiendish energy rapidly dissolved and froze as if encountering its nemesis, turning into a sky full of red ice crystals that scattered!
The tall, thin man grunted and stumbled back, fear appearing in his eyes for the first time. He had clearly underestimated Líng Xuě's strength!
At this moment, Lin Feng, hiding behind a load-bearing pillar, felt his heart pounding. Although he couldn't see the entire battle, the terrifying energy collision that erupted, the scene of one black-clothed man being instantly killed, and Líng Xuě's powerful stance, like a goddess of ice and snow, deeply shocked him.
Is this the power of a true martial arts expert? Terrifying beyond his imagination! His own meager cultivation was not even worthy of being cannon fodder in the face of a real kill order!
A strong sense of crisis and a craving for power burned within him like fire. He clenched his fists tightly, his fingernails digging deep into his palms. He had to get stronger! Stronger, faster! Otherwise, let alone protecting his sister, he couldn't even control his own life and death!
The battle in the courtyard continued. Líng Xuě, fighting two against one, still held the absolute upper hand, suppressing the tall, thin man and the other black-clothed man. However, Lin Feng vaguely sensed that deep in the mountain forest, there was another, more hidden, and more dangerous aura lurking like a venomous snake, yet to make a move...
Next chapter preview: Chapter Seventeen: The Might of the Ice Phoenix! Líng Xuě displays absolute power, crushing the invading enemies! But the true killing move lurking in the darkness finally appears, a fatal trap aimed at Líng Xuě herself? How will Lin Feng protect himself amidst the aftermath of the expert battle? Will the sudden crisis completely change the cultivation landscape of the mountain academy?