Chapter 412. The Murim's Poison Master (3)

"..."

Wu Qu sensed his impending demise and closed his eyes in resignation.

I've always wondered...

Zhou Xuchuan's face popped up in Wu Qu's mind.

I've always wondered why Benefactor, a monstrous genius who had become a Coruscant expert in his mid-twenties, was so wary of the Association Lord.

Zhou Xuchuan had been warning his acquaintances nonstop, including Wu Qu, about the Dark Heavens Association and its master.

This man... he goes against the laws of our world.

The qi sword supporting his body grew less and less distinct.

Zhenhua, my child...

The flame of his life flickered and grew smaller, its light getting dimmer.

I'm not afraid to die at this stage of my life. But I am afraid of not being able to watch over my daughter and never seeing her face again.

Wu Qu didn't regret coming here to battle a calamitous monster. After all, he swore to offer his life when Zhou Xuchuan saved Wu Zhenhua's life. But as a father, he couldn't help but regret leaving a young daughter behind.

Benefactor.

The amber glow of the setting sun was blocked off by a shadow. The sword belonging to the Dark Heavens, a calamity in its own right, descended on Wu Qu's head.

I'll leave Zhenhua in your care.

𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Even in the face of his end, Wu Qu was worried about his daughter.

WHOOSH!

Before the blade could split Wu Qu's head...

CRACKLE!

The ground, which ought to be burning from the rays of the setting sun, suddenly froze.

SWISH!

A hand as white as gleaming ice shot out from the frozen surface.

"...!"

The Dark Heavens Association Lord's brows quivered. His reaction speed was truly astounding; the sword in his grasp instantly changed its trajectory and slammed into the palm coming from below.

BOOM!

Upon collision, the qi bounced up like droplets of water. It was like a stream of liquid had hit the surface of a body of water, resulting in it spreading outward as powerful ripples of water.

Craaackle!

The pure-white waves swept across the land, causing a noticeable change. The verdant leaves were suddenly covered in frost. Like some kind of plague, the frost spread all over the trees in the vicinity. These trees, hundreds of years old, quickly turned into statues of ice.

Whoooosh!

Wu Qu could feel the bone-chilling coldness akin to the northerly blizzard blowing in. Seeing that the temperature in the surroundings had plummeted rapidly, it didn't seem like the apropos metaphor.

"What is this...?"

Wu Qu's eyes were wide open in surprise by now. The destroyed surroundings, resembling a disaster zone after a storm had blown across it, changed once more. Now, it resembled a wondrous winter land filled with ice statues.

Even Wu Qu, who had zero interest in artistic things, like statues and paintings, couldn't help but be stunned by the beauty of it all.

"The... Frigid Pale Divine Palm!"

The Association Lord muttered the name of the North Sea Ice Palace's divine art. His eyes, with hints of crimson swirling within them, reflected the figure of an expressionless but peerless beauty.

"North Sea Ice Palace Master."

"That's right," the peerless beauty replied, her eyes glowing in a bluish white hue. "I am the master of the North Sea Ice Palace, Leng Yuefei."

After saying that, she gripped the Association Lord's blade tightly. Her intention was to shove the weapon back at the end of her response, but the sword remained unmoving.

However, Leng Yuefei didn't panic, nor was she shocked. She had already discarded her emotions along with her physical body a long time ago, after all.

Her mind didn't have enough time to think as her body reacted first.

Compared to the north sea, the Central Plains' climate had to feel like a desert to her, but the freezing coldness didn't seem to affect her at all.

As if she were still in the north sea, frosty winds leaked out from her right hand in full power to grip the Association Lord's sword.

Swiiiiish!

She took a half-step forward with her right foot before using it as the pivoting point to spin around halfway. The grass, frozen solid from the sudden drop in the temperature, shattered under her feet.

At the same time, she extended her left arm, its joints stretching forward. Every muscle in her arm, like the biceps and triceps, and even the ones on her side, all stretched tautly. If an ordinary person were to do the same, the muscles they rarely used would ache.

However, Leng Yuefei didn't feel any resistance whatsoever. Despite being over seventy years of age, her body remained as supple as that of a young girl. Her long, slender fingers gathered; her palm, free from calluses and smooth-skinned, closed in on the Association Lord's face.

Whoosh!

However, he simply cocked his head to the side to dodge the oncoming palm.

As befitting the heavenly martial art of the North Sea Ice Palace, the Frigid Pale Divine Palm boasted an absurd level of destructive power.

However, as was the case with a palm technique that used qi to injure the internal organs, it wasn't dangerous as long as the attack was avoided. Of course, that was only true if one hadn't mastered the technique to its completion.

Crackle!

The temperature around Leng Yuefei's palm instantly plummeted. It was so cold that even the air itself began to freeze over. Unsurprisingly, a layer of frost appeared on the Dark Heavens Association Lord's neck. The veins bulging on his neck skin after he cocked his head out of the way now resembled a miniature hill covered in snow.

At this rate, even his spine could get affected.

"How trifling."

The Association Lord suddenly flexed his neck muscles as if he had enough.

Crackle!

The layer of frost covering his skin shattered into a million pieces and scattered like flower petals.

Swish!

Even the sword previously caught in Leng Yuefei's right hand slipped out quite easily. The Association Lord brushed past her as if he were sliding on ice and aimed for her unguarded side.

Leng Yuefei only moved her eyes to track the sword.

'He's fast.'

No, that movement was no longer in the realm of "fast." Even the dynamic visual acuity and senses of a Coruscant expert like her could barely keep up.

'Freeze still!'

She only chased after the Association Lord with her eyes, not to confirm his speed or the sword's direction, but to activate the Manifestation of One's Path, containing the might of the north sea.

Crack! Craaackle!

A human's will unleashed a power that ignored the laws of nature. With her will alone, the Association Lord's sword and even the atmosphere began to freeze up.

'No, freezing the sword is not enough.'

It'd be enough if Leng Yuefei's opponent today weren't an expert. However, since he was another absolute master like her, it'd be challenging to turn his weapon into a chunk of ice.

The internal energy contained within that blade was so stupendous that Leng Yuefei's skin and brain flinched and shuddered. After taking into account those sensations, she instantly chose to target something else instead. And that something else was the moisture in the air.

Ice walls suddenly materialized in the air. One, two... eventually, dozens of walls stood in the path of the Association Lord's sword. Unsurprisingly, these walls couldn't stop the attack at all, and they all shattered apart at the absolute master's sword strike.

However, they did their job by slowing the strike down enough.

'With that, now I can evade.'

Tah-aht!

She raised her heels and used only the strength in her toes to kick herself off the ground. That wasn't all, however; she lowered her left palm and lightly shoved the Association Lord's neck away. With the momentum generated from that move, Leng Yuefei rotated mid-air.

Swiiiish!

The deadly sword targeting her waist scythed through the empty air instead. Leng Yuefei rotated two more times before landing gently on the spot.

Whoosh!

The Association Lord's sword suddenly changed its trajectory once more.

When force was applied in one direction, the opposing direction would also experience an equal amount of force, making it difficult to stop abruptly. However, it was like such laws of nature didn't apply to the Dark Heavens Association Lord.

He managed to stop his blade and swing it in the opposite direction as if that were his intention all along!

Had Leng Yufei straightened up upon landing, the blade would have beheaded her on the spot. However, she raised both of her palms as if she, too, had anticipated this countermove.

KA-BOOOOM!

"...!"

Leng Yuefei's back was bent backward. The initial attack was already extraordinary, and this one was even more so. Not only did she use both hands, but she even unleashed a torrent of qi akin to that of a vast ocean to defend against the oncoming attack.

Despite that, she was still shoved away. Her meridians ached, and it felt like her muscles were about to rip apart. The joints in her wrists creaked unsteadily, too.

Paaaang!

Unable to absorb any more impact, her figure became airborne before being flung away.

Without a doubt, she had failed to defend against that strike. As if to say the impact was not reduced enough, her entire body ached painfully.

Leng Yuefei immediately gave up on withstanding the momentum of the strike and let herself get blasted away. While doing so, she snatched up Wu Qu by the scruff of his neck and took him away.

Ka-boom!

An absolute master ranked among the Empyrean Overlords had to tumble around in the dirt several times. She protected her vital points, like her head, during the fall and successfully avoided fatal injuries, but her pride had to have taken a hit.

Leng Yuefei ably dispersed the momentum while hitting the ground, allowing her to twist herself in mid-air and land

relatively

unscathed on her feet.

"

Fuu-woo

..."

She let out a soft sigh from her lips as her hair flowed down like a waterfall. The sight of her undone hair resembling the finest silk was mesmerizing to behold.

Most Evil faction or wandering warriors would have applauded enthusiastically at how perfectly executed her technique of rolling in the dirt was, but rather bizarrely, Leng Yuefei's appearance remained pristine. Not a speck of dirt was on her, and her clothing remained intact, as well.

"North Sea Ice Palace Master," the Dark Heavens Association Lord asked, his brows furrowing in displeasure. "Why have you entered the Central Plains?"

He was the avatar of martial arts itself, but it didn't mean he was a stupid man. Even during that brief exchange of moves, he couldn't help but wonder.

Leng Yuefei's long eyelashes fluttered lower before rising higher. Looking into her bluish white eyes below those eyelashes wasn't enough to peek into her thought process.

"How odd," Leng Yuefei muttered, "Judging from your demeanor, you already have your suspicions, so I do not understand why you'd have to ask."

"Zhou... Xuchuan!"

The Association Lord's expression changed once more. A deep scowl spread on his face, while rage became more evident in his voice.

"It's as I've said. You already knew," Leng Yuefei responded flatly.

"I wondered why that little bastard was nowhere to be found while I was shoring up our forces. To think that not only did he go to the south sea, but even to the north sea to seek assistance...! How resourceful of him!"

His dark crimson eyes burning in rage clearly implied that the Association Lord was not praising Zhou Xuchuan.

'That irritating bastard!'

Even if the Dark Heavens Association was an absurdly powerful organization, it still had limitations. Managing the

murim

of this vast land of the Central Plains already posed a hefty challenge. Unsurprisingly, it was almost impossible to monitor the

murim

beyond the mainland, which was too far away geographically.

"Oh, the ruler of the north sea and the master of the Ice Palace," the Association Lord spoke while jutting his chin out arrogantly. "I won't demand that you submit to me. However, from this moment henceforth, do not interfere in the matters of the Central Plains'

murim

.

"If you do, I give you my word that I shall resolve the famine of the north and even humor one of your wishes."

"I will have to decline," Leng Yuefei unhesitantly replied. "My palace, the North Sea Ice Palace, already owes a debt of gratitude to the Sword God Zhou Xuchuan and promised him that we will lend him our aid. Also, he has already resolved our food shortage crisis, so you don't have to worry yourself sick about it."

The Association Lord tutted softly. "I see. Indeed, those are good enough reasons for the North Sea Ice Palace Master to personally step into the Central Plains. Very well. Since our negotiation has failed, it seems there's no point in any further talks. Since you're in my way, it's time for you to die."

"Oh, you arrogant master of the Dark Heavens, heed my advice. Now, think. Do you honestly believe that the master of the Ice Palace would come by herself? Without her escorts?"

Leng Yuefei also met the Association Lord's arrogant gaze with her own haughty gaze.

"The Sword God has warned me that you'd be an exceedingly arrogant but wise lord. If true, you should have realized what my question implies by now."

"..."

"Then, here is another question, O Master of the Dark Heavens. Where are your loyal troops as we speak?"

The Association Lord's eyes narrowed to slits. It was as Leng Yuefei had said; he really was a smart man, boasting a quick judgement. In other words, he instantly figured out what she was implying and what the situation had to be like.

"By now, the Dark Heavens' warriors, fatigued from the battle against the Righteous and Evil Alliance, must be getting slaughtered in their droves at the hands of the Ice Palace's elites. Since that's the case, shouldn't you return to their side as soon as possible?"

"North Sea Ice Palace Master Leng Yuefei...! If you think being an Empyrean Overlord is enough to delay me, you are gravely mistaken."

"I already know that you're a monster from our earlier exchange. However, even you will have trouble dealing with not one, but two absolute masters."

And that was when Wu Qu stood next to Leng Yuefei. He wielded invisible swords in both hands.

"I'm certain that you will have to waste considerable time dealing with two absolute masters who are prepared to die. In the meantime, your loyal soldiers will get annihilated by the elites from my palace and the Righteous and Evil Alliance forces. Now, then. Do your worst," said Leng Yuefei, her glare narrowing. "O Dark Heavens Association Lord."

"Why, you...!"

"I am the ruler of the north sea and the master of the Ice Palace."

WHOOOOOSH!

"I am... Leng Yuefei!"