Chapter 17
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Xia Bingyue arrived with her thirty or so disciples.
The disciples under Xia Lingxin's jurisdiction revealed smiles of reliefs on their faces as they greeted the group with a smile.
"What the hell happened here..."
But when Xia Bingyue's group saw the destruction and gore that surrounded the surviving disciples. Their eyes shone in a light of pity and empathy. The hatred that they had towards the Silent Monastery seethed like boiling magma as the two groups wordlessly stared at each other.
Xia Bingyue's group handed over dozens of medicines, while the other disciple carried those incapacitated. The horrendous sight of flesh torn apart and blood drenched with crimson blood engraved itself into the minds of these disciples.
They felt saddened about the deaths of their comrades but at the same time, the light within their eyes flashed with steel-like resolve tempered under a battle of life and death.
From now on, these disciples would never stay mediocre in their entire life.
Xia Bingyue herself also felt the change in the air around these disciples and she didn't know whether to feel gratitude towards the Silent Monastery for tempering her fellow disciples or hatred for killing them. Smiling wryly, she glanced at the disciple in-charge and beckoned him over.
"There are recent signs of battle around here, judging from the fizzling Spiritual Energy, the battle should've ended three minutes ago." She glanced around the area and found that the illumination from the sun was gradually dispersing. Cold winds blew and night would soon arrive.
"Have you secured the perimeter, yet?" She asked with a solemn voice while sweeping her gaze over the thick tree branches around her. Xia Lingxin's expression went pensive. He turned around and stared at the distant tree branches.
"Senior Brother?" A fellow disciple asked but upon seeing the seriousness of the two, he choked with his words as every remaining disciple went into alert mode. Some disciples covered the injured while some held their weapons in a stance.
On the tree branches, silhouettes could be seen facing their direction. Unfortunately, sunlight obstructed her vision and she couldn't properly count their enemies.
"Fifteen people came to attack us earlier, we managed to kill at least six before they retreated. Since they came back, their numbers must be greater than us." Xia Lingxin analyzed the situation and Xia Bingyue nodded her head. Unsheathing her Soft Sword, it transformed into a nimble snake as a cold aura of frost surrounded her body.
Xia Lingxin also unsheathed his weapon, and a fierce sword intent enveloped his body. His might attacked the eyes of those that dared to look at him for a certain amount of time.
"Everyone, we're currently surrounded by those bastards from the Silent Monastery. Prepare to slaughter our way to retreat..." Xia Bingyue declared with a ciitical tone.
Above the tallest tree branch was the young man that Jiang Tian intimidated several days ago. Clad in the orange robes of the Silent Monastery, Tang Zemin clenched his fists and coldly stared at Xia Bingyue's figure. Ever since that humiliation, he swore that he would definitely make the Xia Clan suffer more than what he did.
"Xia Bingyue, the so-called Ice Empress of the Xia Clan. Possessing a cultivation of the peak Essence Condensation Realm. I wonder if she can withstand a single punch from my Asura Knuckles..." Tang Zemin glanced at his fists. There, a pair of crimson steel knuckles ominously shone under the fading sunlight.
"Bald monkeys from the broken down cemetery! Stop being mysterious and face us honestly!" A young man that looked like a mountain of flesh shouted from the front lines of the Xia Clan. His shout astonished his fellow disciples as they thought about how large his guts was for deliberately provoking the Silent Monastery.
The young woman referred to as Lan'er stood beside the fatty and prepared charged her mystical tecnique. With her will, she could easily unleash a beam of destructive energy that would instantly vaporize her enemies.
The gathered momentum of the channeling disciples formed a faint tempest of Spiritual Energy. Tang Zemin who saw all of these from the top lifted an amused smile on his lips.
"These mere clowns actually killed some of my fellow disciples? What a blunder, to think that we fought against each other for dozens of times but they still haven't discovered why they kept losing. Is everyone from the Xia Clan had muscles for brains?" Tang Zemin mumbled under his breath and disappointingly shook his head.
"It looks like today's battle is my victory once again..." Tang Zemin felt confident aboout his odds of winning. Particularly, when he and his fellow disciples had the mysterious Artifact that the Silent Monastery distributed.
Tang Zemin glanced at his fellow disciples and looked for traces of Jiang Tian. When he didn't see him, he sighed in relief before descending down and declaring in a fierce voice.
"Get them, boys!"
A thunderous chorus rang out and a fierce killing intent enveloped the entire area. The thirty or so disciples from the Silent Monastery, scattered and aimed for the most vulnerable target that they could find. Aiming to reduce the Xia Clan's fighting capabilities in the fastest speed possible.
"Protect the injured!" Xia Bingyue realized their goal and shouted and order. Forming a two-layered barrier that surrounded the injured disciples. Her fellow disciples banded together and protected their brothers.
"No matter what happens, I will never let these bastards kill more of my brothers!" Xia Lingxin whispered under his breath before dashing towards Tang Zemin's direction. He realized that Tang Zemin was the highest threat that needed to be eliminated as soon as possible.
Xia Bingyue followed suit, her sword intertwined around her body in a protective manner.
Tang Zemin who saw their approach lifted an amused smile and activated his Artifact that shone in a mysterious pinkish light. Xia Bingyue and Xia Lingxin raised their weapons in a defensive stance but didn't feel any impact.
"What's with that Artifact? It didn't do anything, could it be that it's a defensive Artifact?" She thought in her mind and continued her approach.
Xia Lingxin faced Tang Zemin while Xia Bingyue attacked from behind. Tang Zemin applauded their smooth teamwork before stomping hard on the ground, sending rocks flying in the air and interrupting the two's attack.
Xia Lingxin and Xia Bingyue backed away from the flying rocks. But Tang Zemin saw their next course of actions and kicked a boulder at Xia Bingyue's direction, all the while attacking Xia Lingxin with his fists.
~Slice
Xia Bingyue sliced the boulder into pieces and dashed towards Tang Zemin's body. Sending a downward slash, Tang Zemin lifted his steel knuckles and parried it with his hand. The diverted momentum shook her body and staggered her to the side.
Xia Lingxin took this opportunity and launched a thrust at Tang Zemin's direction.
"What an idiot..." Tang Zemin whispered in his mind and easily avoided it with a sidestep. However, Xia Lingxin's thrust didn't stop its movements and continued on towards the staggered Xia Bingyue.
"Lingxin, stop..."
Clang!
A sound of metal clashing metal echoed out, Tang Zemin laughed out loud before sending a sweeping kick at their figures, sending them flying towards a nearby tree trunk as blood exploded from their mouths.
"Senior Brother!"
"Senior Sister!"
With just a single attack, Tang Zemin severely injured both parties as the minds of the remaining disciples from the Xia Clan fell into despair. Seeing that both of their strongest members were incapacitated, they started losing hope.
Xia Bingyue stabbed her sword at the ground and saw that the exhausted Xia Lingxin directly lost his consciousness after enduring Tang Zemin's attack. Right now, she was the only hope of her fellow disciples. She couldn't afford to fall and die.
Mustering all of her determination and willpower, she managed to stand up. Albeit, unstable, she stared at Tang Zemin's direction with a cold light within her eyes. Xia Lingxin who was known as the Sword Sovereign of their Clan couldn't possibly make such a basic mistake of miscalculating his sword's trajectory.
Recalling their earlier exchange. Xia Bingyue noticed some disparities within Tang Zemin's movements that didn't align with her memories. Gnashing her teeth, she rotated her cultivation base and prepared to attack Tang Zemin once again.
She a premontion that once she uncovered the source of that disparity. The Xia Clan may achieve a breakthrough when fighting against the disciples from the Silent Monastery.
"So the skill of the so-called Ice Empress is merely so-so. I expected a fierce struggle, but the two of you couldn't even last twenty exchanges before suffering severe injuries..." Tang Zemin shook his head before scanning Xia Bingyue's voloptuous body from head to toe. Licking his lips, he continued.
"How about you give up this battle and serve me for a single night? I guarantee you that I will retreat with my fellow disciples once you agree." Burning lust ignited within Tang Zemin's eyes. The beauties from the reclusive Silent Monastery couldn't compare to the beauty of the Ice Empress.
The disciples from the XIa Clan who heard his words blushed with anger and fury as they shouted.
"Bald monkey! We may be defeated but we will never be humiliated! Senior Sister, kill that monkey for us!"
"That's right, that's right, there are no cowards from the Xia Clan! Today, there's only one road for us! Either we die or live!"
Their roars ignited their morale and their counter-attacks intensified. The Fatty and the young woman referred to as Lan'er even instanty killed several Silent Monastery disciples in a single attack, further boosting their squad's morale.
Tang Zemin's face went ugly and green. But he still stared hopefully at Xia Bingyue's figure and awaited her decision. Once she refused, he would immediately activate his Sect's Artifact and launch an attack with all of his might.
Xia Bingyue felt the raging killing intent within Tang Zemin's eyes as her expression went frosty. Thrusting her sword towards the skies, she lifted an ambiguous smile on her lips and declared.
"Have you forgotten that I am known as the Ice Empress? Do you really think that you can easily defeat, someone like me that is publicly recognized by the Stellar Academy?"
Tang Zemin's expression flickered, that's right, Xia Bingyue was publicly recognized as the Ice Empress due to her towering prowess and might, yet why did she easily crumble under a single attack from him? Tang Zemin felt confused and mystified.
"As the Ice Empress, my defensive capabilities are close to none, but my offensive prowess is at the extreme. If you're thinking that you're stronger than me just because you caught me off guard, then I am sorry to tell you this, but you're completely wrong!" She declared with a stern voice before rotating her cultivation base to the fullest.
The cold wind that swept past the bodies of everyone turned frosty. The mud-like consistency of the ground transformed into ice and everything, around Xia Bingyue changed into a zone of Absolute Coldness. With her cultivation base and understanding of the Ice Laws as the fuel, Xia Bingyue activated her own domain!
"I-I-Impossible...The information that was given to me said that you're merely at the peak of the Essence Condensation Realm. How could you manifest a domain?!" Tang Zemin's smugness disappeared, replaced by fear and apprehension toawrds the mysterious Xia Bingyue. Manifesting a domain was the specialty of a Foundation Establishment Expert.
A domain was an area created using the cultivator's understanding of the laws that made the domain. Inside the area of the domain, the cultivator who manifested it was the absolute authority. But of course, such an overpowered power had its own weakness.
And that was.
Sufficient channeling time was necessary to fully manifest a domain.
If he attacked now, Tang Zemin could interrupt her manifestation process and damage her with a backlash.
Smiling viciously, Tang Zemin cursed Xia Bingyue's stupidity as he slid down the frosty ground and neared Xia Bingyue's figure. Seeing his approach, Xia Bingyue kept her composure and looked as carefree as ever.
Her calm countenance disturbed Tang Zemin and made him wary about his surroundings. Enveloping his body in a shell of Spiritual Energy. He closed the distance between him and her. But before he could launch his attacks, the disciples from the Xia Clan were even faster. Sending a torrent of Spiritual Energy and Mystical Techniques, even Tang Zemin who was known for his strong physique couldn't possibly handle such an assault.
Constant attacks followed him, forcing him to continuously retreat, leaving him with no chance to disrupt Xia Bingyue's channeling.
"Some of you bastards come here! Let's attack this bitch together and see if her fellow disciples can keep up with our movements!" When Xia Bingyue heard this words, she bit her lower lip until it bled. The support that she received from her fellow disciples could hardly keep Tang Zemin at bay, much less when he and his fellow disciples attacked her at the same time.
Two disciples from the Silent Monastery accompanied Tang Zemin and they all dashed at her figure. Xia Bingyue's lips bled like crazy from her biting as she prayed that she could last until ten seconds.
She only needed ten more seconds to complete her channeling and fully establish her domain!
Tang Zemin and his brothers venomously laughed, stretching their fists outward, they aimed at Xia Bingyue's figure with a crazed light of victory in their eyes.
"Three more seconds!" Tears dripped down Xia Bingyue's eyes as apprehension enveloped her heart. The distance of several meters between her and Tang Zemin was basically non-existent. Closing her eyes and resigning to her fate, a wisp of jet-black light intervened at the critical moment, momentarily stopping the figures of the three.
"Zero!"
Xia Bingyue shouted in her mind and the territory of Absolute Coldness expanded and roared with power, thoroughly engulfing the three and transforming them into ice sculptures along with their remaining disciples that fought against the disciples of the Xia Clan.
Within an instant, under the overwhelming might of Xia Bingyue's domain, the battle that lasted for several hours ended.
Sweeping her gaze over the relieved expressions of her fellow disciples. Xia Bingyue recalled the moment when the thread of jet-black light entered Tang Zemin and his brother's body. If not for the intervention of that light which forcefully stopped their bodies at the crucial moment, Xia Bingyue may have failed and her fellow disciples, massacred.
As her consciousness swayed along with her body. Xia Bingyue caught a glimpse of the silhouette of a certain person that she greatly hated. Lifting a small smile on her face, she expressed her gratitude towards his actions before her consciousness, darkened.
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Xia Bingyue arrived with her thirty or so disciples.
The disciples under Xia Lingxin's jurisdiction revealed smiles of reliefs on their faces as they greeted the group with a smile.
"What the hell happened here..."
But when Xia Bingyue's group saw the destruction and gore that surrounded the surviving disciples. Their eyes shone in a light of pity and empathy. The hatred that they had towards the Silent Monastery seethed like boiling magma as the two groups wordlessly stared at each other.
Xia Bingyue's group handed over dozens of medicines, while the other disciple carried those incapacitated. The horrendous sight of flesh torn apart and blood drenched with crimson blood engraved itself into the minds of these disciples.
They felt saddened about the deaths of their comrades but at the same time, the light within their eyes flashed with steel-like resolve tempered under a battle of life and death.
From now on, these disciples would never stay mediocre in their entire life.
Xia Bingyue herself also felt the change in the air around these disciples and she didn't know whether to feel gratitude towards the Silent Monastery for tempering her fellow disciples or hatred for killing them. Smiling wryly, she glanced at the disciple in-charge and beckoned him over.
"There are recent signs of battle around here, judging from the fizzling Spiritual Energy, the battle should've ended three minutes ago." She glanced around the area and found that the illumination from the sun was gradually dispersing. Cold winds blew and night would soon arrive.
"Have you secured the perimeter, yet?" She asked with a solemn voice while sweeping her gaze over the thick tree branches around her. Xia Lingxin's expression went pensive. He turned around and stared at the distant tree branches.
"Senior Brother?" A fellow disciple asked but upon seeing the seriousness of the two, he choked with his words as every remaining disciple went into alert mode. Some disciples covered the injured while some held their weapons in a stance.
On the tree branches, silhouettes could be seen facing their direction. Unfortunately, sunlight obstructed her vision and she couldn't properly count their enemies.
"Fifteen people came to attack us earlier, we managed to kill at least six before they retreated. Since they came back, their numbers must be greater than us." Xia Lingxin analyzed the situation and Xia Bingyue nodded her head. Unsheathing her Soft Sword, it transformed into a nimble snake as a cold aura of frost surrounded her body.
Xia Lingxin also unsheathed his weapon, and a fierce sword intent enveloped his body. His might attacked the eyes of those that dared to look at him for a certain amount of time.
"Everyone, we're currently surrounded by those bastards from the Silent Monastery. Prepare to slaughter our way to retreat..." Xia Bingyue declared with a ciitical tone.
Above the tallest tree branch was the young man that Jiang Tian intimidated several days ago. Clad in the orange robes of the Silent Monastery, Tang Zemin clenched his fists and coldly stared at Xia Bingyue's figure. Ever since that humiliation, he swore that he would definitely make the Xia Clan suffer more than what he did.
"Xia Bingyue, the so-called Ice Empress of the Xia Clan. Possessing a cultivation of the peak Essence Condensation Realm. I wonder if she can withstand a single punch from my Asura Knuckles..." Tang Zemin glanced at his fists. There, a pair of crimson steel knuckles ominously shone under the fading sunlight.
"Bald monkeys from the broken down cemetery! Stop being mysterious and face us honestly!" A young man that looked like a mountain of flesh shouted from the front lines of the Xia Clan. His shout astonished his fellow disciples as they thought about how large his guts was for deliberately provoking the Silent Monastery.
The young woman referred to as Lan'er stood beside the fatty and prepared charged her mystical tecnique. With her will, she could easily unleash a beam of destructive energy that would instantly vaporize her enemies.
The gathered momentum of the channeling disciples formed a faint tempest of Spiritual Energy. Tang Zemin who saw all of these from the top lifted an amused smile on his lips.
"These mere clowns actually killed some of my fellow disciples? What a blunder, to think that we fought against each other for dozens of times but they still haven't discovered why they kept losing. Is everyone from the Xia Clan had muscles for brains?" Tang Zemin mumbled under his breath and disappointingly shook his head.
"It looks like today's battle is my victory once again..." Tang Zemin felt confident aboout his odds of winning. Particularly, when he and his fellow disciples had the mysterious Artifact that the Silent Monastery distributed.
Tang Zemin glanced at his fellow disciples and looked for traces of Jiang Tian. When he didn't see him, he sighed in relief before descending down and declaring in a fierce voice.
"Get them, boys!"
A thunderous chorus rang out and a fierce killing intent enveloped the entire area. The thirty or so disciples from the Silent Monastery, scattered and aimed for the most vulnerable target that they could find. Aiming to reduce the Xia Clan's fighting capabilities in the fastest speed possible.
"Protect the injured!" Xia Bingyue realized their goal and shouted and order. Forming a two-layered barrier that surrounded the injured disciples. Her fellow disciples banded together and protected their brothers.
"No matter what happens, I will never let these bastards kill more of my brothers!" Xia Lingxin whispered under his breath before dashing towards Tang Zemin's direction. He realized that Tang Zemin was the highest threat that needed to be eliminated as soon as possible.
Xia Bingyue followed suit, her sword intertwined around her body in a protective manner.
Tang Zemin who saw their approach lifted an amused smile and activated his Artifact that shone in a mysterious pinkish light. Xia Bingyue and Xia Lingxin raised their weapons in a defensive stance but didn't feel any impact.
"What's with that Artifact? It didn't do anything, could it be that it's a defensive Artifact?" She thought in her mind and continued her approach.
Xia Lingxin faced Tang Zemin while Xia Bingyue attacked from behind. Tang Zemin applauded their smooth teamwork before stomping hard on the ground, sending rocks flying in the air and interrupting the two's attack.
Xia Lingxin and Xia Bingyue backed away from the flying rocks. But Tang Zemin saw their next course of actions and kicked a boulder at Xia Bingyue's direction, all the while attacking Xia Lingxin with his fists.
~Slice
Xia Bingyue sliced the boulder into pieces and dashed towards Tang Zemin's body. Sending a downward slash, Tang Zemin lifted his steel knuckles and parried it with his hand. The diverted momentum shook her body and staggered her to the side.
Xia Lingxin took this opportunity and launched a thrust at Tang Zemin's direction.
"What an idiot..." Tang Zemin whispered in his mind and easily avoided it with a sidestep. However, Xia Lingxin's thrust didn't stop its movements and continued on towards the staggered Xia Bingyue.
"Lingxin, stop..."
Clang!
A sound of metal clashing metal echoed out, Tang Zemin laughed out loud before sending a sweeping kick at their figures, sending them flying towards a nearby tree trunk as blood exploded from their mouths.
"Senior Brother!"
"Senior Sister!"
With just a single attack, Tang Zemin severely injured both parties as the minds of the remaining disciples from the Xia Clan fell into despair. Seeing that both of their strongest members were incapacitated, they started losing hope.
Xia Bingyue stabbed her sword at the ground and saw that the exhausted Xia Lingxin directly lost his consciousness after enduring Tang Zemin's attack. Right now, she was the only hope of her fellow disciples. She couldn't afford to fall and die.
Mustering all of her determination and willpower, she managed to stand up. Albeit, unstable, she stared at Tang Zemin's direction with a cold light within her eyes. Xia Lingxin who was known as the Sword Sovereign of their Clan couldn't possibly make such a basic mistake of miscalculating his sword's trajectory.
Recalling their earlier exchange. Xia Bingyue noticed some disparities within Tang Zemin's movements that didn't align with her memories. Gnashing her teeth, she rotated her cultivation base and prepared to attack Tang Zemin once again.
She a premontion that once she uncovered the source of that disparity. The Xia Clan may achieve a breakthrough when fighting against the disciples from the Silent Monastery.
"So the skill of the so-called Ice Empress is merely so-so. I expected a fierce struggle, but the two of you couldn't even last twenty exchanges before suffering severe injuries..." Tang Zemin shook his head before scanning Xia Bingyue's voloptuous body from head to toe. Licking his lips, he continued.
"How about you give up this battle and serve me for a single night? I guarantee you that I will retreat with my fellow disciples once you agree." Burning lust ignited within Tang Zemin's eyes. The beauties from the reclusive Silent Monastery couldn't compare to the beauty of the Ice Empress.
The disciples from the XIa Clan who heard his words blushed with anger and fury as they shouted.
"Bald monkey! We may be defeated but we will never be humiliated! Senior Sister, kill that monkey for us!"
"That's right, that's right, there are no cowards from the Xia Clan! Today, there's only one road for us! Either we die or live!"
Their roars ignited their morale and their counter-attacks intensified. The Fatty and the young woman referred to as Lan'er even instanty killed several Silent Monastery disciples in a single attack, further boosting their squad's morale.
Tang Zemin's face went ugly and green. But he still stared hopefully at Xia Bingyue's figure and awaited her decision. Once she refused, he would immediately activate his Sect's Artifact and launch an attack with all of his might.
Xia Bingyue felt the raging killing intent within Tang Zemin's eyes as her expression went frosty. Thrusting her sword towards the skies, she lifted an ambiguous smile on her lips and declared.
"Have you forgotten that I am known as the Ice Empress? Do you really think that you can easily defeat, someone like me that is publicly recognized by the Stellar Academy?"
Tang Zemin's expression flickered, that's right, Xia Bingyue was publicly recognized as the Ice Empress due to her towering prowess and might, yet why did she easily crumble under a single attack from him? Tang Zemin felt confused and mystified.
"As the Ice Empress, my defensive capabilities are close to none, but my offensive prowess is at the extreme. If you're thinking that you're stronger than me just because you caught me off guard, then I am sorry to tell you this, but you're completely wrong!" She declared with a stern voice before rotating her cultivation base to the fullest.
The cold wind that swept past the bodies of everyone turned frosty. The mud-like consistency of the ground transformed into ice and everything, around Xia Bingyue changed into a zone of Absolute Coldness. With her cultivation base and understanding of the Ice Laws as the fuel, Xia Bingyue activated her own domain!
"I-I-Impossible...The information that was given to me said that you're merely at the peak of the Essence Condensation Realm. How could you manifest a domain?!" Tang Zemin's smugness disappeared, replaced by fear and apprehension toawrds the mysterious Xia Bingyue. Manifesting a domain was the specialty of a Foundation Establishment Expert.
A domain was an area created using the cultivator's understanding of the laws that made the domain. Inside the area of the domain, the cultivator who manifested it was the absolute authority. But of course, such an overpowered power had its own weakness.
And that was.
Sufficient channeling time was necessary to fully manifest a domain.
If he attacked now, Tang Zemin could interrupt her manifestation process and damage her with a backlash.
Smiling viciously, Tang Zemin cursed Xia Bingyue's stupidity as he slid down the frosty ground and neared Xia Bingyue's figure. Seeing his approach, Xia Bingyue kept her composure and looked as carefree as ever.
Her calm countenance disturbed Tang Zemin and made him wary about his surroundings. Enveloping his body in a shell of Spiritual Energy. He closed the distance between him and her. But before he could launch his attacks, the disciples from the Xia Clan were even faster. Sending a torrent of Spiritual Energy and Mystical Techniques, even Tang Zemin who was known for his strong physique couldn't possibly handle such an assault.
Constant attacks followed him, forcing him to continuously retreat, leaving him with no chance to disrupt Xia Bingyue's channeling.
"Some of you bastards come here! Let's attack this bitch together and see if her fellow disciples can keep up with our movements!" When Xia Bingyue heard this words, she bit her lower lip until it bled. The support that she received from her fellow disciples could hardly keep Tang Zemin at bay, much less when he and his fellow disciples attacked her at the same time.
Two disciples from the Silent Monastery accompanied Tang Zemin and they all dashed at her figure. Xia Bingyue's lips bled like crazy from her biting as she prayed that she could last until ten seconds.
She only needed ten more seconds to complete her channeling and fully establish her domain!
Tang Zemin and his brothers venomously laughed, stretching their fists outward, they aimed at Xia Bingyue's figure with a crazed light of victory in their eyes.
"Three more seconds!" Tears dripped down Xia Bingyue's eyes as apprehension enveloped her heart. The distance of several meters between her and Tang Zemin was basically non-existent. Closing her eyes and resigning to her fate, a wisp of jet-black light intervened at the critical moment, momentarily stopping the figures of the three.
"Zero!"
Xia Bingyue shouted in her mind and the territory of Absolute Coldness expanded and roared with power, thoroughly engulfing the three and transforming them into ice sculptures along with their remaining disciples that fought against the disciples of the Xia Clan.
Within an instant, under the overwhelming might of Xia Bingyue's domain, the battle that lasted for several hours ended.
Sweeping her gaze over the relieved expressions of her fellow disciples. Xia Bingyue recalled the moment when the thread of jet-black light entered Tang Zemin and his brother's body. If not for the intervention of that light which forcefully stopped their bodies at the crucial moment, Xia Bingyue may have failed and her fellow disciples, massacred.
As her consciousness swayed along with her body. Xia Bingyue caught a glimpse of the silhouette of a certain person that she greatly hated. Lifting a small smile on her face, she expressed her gratitude towards his actions before her consciousness, darkened.
Xia Bingyue arrived with her thirty or so disciples.The disciples under Xia Lingxin's jurisdiction revealed smiles of reliefs on their faces as they greeted the group with a smile."What the hell happened here..."But when Xia Bingyue's group saw the destruction and gore that surrounded the surviving disciples. Their eyes shone in a light of pity and empathy. The hatred that they had towards the Silent Monastery seethed like boiling magma as the two groups wordlessly stared at each other.Xia Bingyue's group handed over dozens of medicines, while the other disciple carried those incapacitated. The horrendous sight of flesh torn apart and blood drenched with crimson blood engraved itself into the minds of these disciples.They felt saddened about the deaths of their comrades but at the same time, the light within their eyes flashed with steel-like resolve tempered under a battle of life and death.From now on, these disciples would never stay mediocre in their entire life.Xia Bingyue herself also felt the change in the air around these disciples and she didn't know whether to feel gratitude towards the Silent Monastery for tempering her fellow disciples or hatred for killing them. Smiling wryly, she glanced at the disciple in-charge and beckoned him over."There are recent signs of battle around here, judging from the fizzling Spiritual Energy, the battle should've ended three minutes ago." She glanced around the area and found that the illumination from the sun was gradually dispersing. Cold winds blew and night would soon arrive."Have you secured the perimeter, yet?" She asked with a solemn voice while sweeping her gaze over the thick tree branches around her. Xia Lingxin's expression went pensive. He turned around and stared at the distant tree branches."Senior Brother?" A fellow disciple asked but upon seeing the seriousness of the two, he choked with his words as every remaining disciple went into alert mode. Some disciples covered the injured while some held their weapons in a stance.On the tree branches, silhouettes could be seen facing their direction. Unfortunately, sunlight obstructed her vision and she couldn't properly count their enemies."Fifteen people came to attack us earlier, we managed to kill at least six before they retreated. Since they came back, their numbers must be greater than us." Xia Lingxin analyzed the situation and Xia Bingyue nodded her head. Unsheathing her Soft Sword, it transformed into a nimble snake as a cold aura of frost surrounded her body.Xia Lingxin also unsheathed his weapon, and a fierce sword intent enveloped his body. His might attacked the eyes of those that dared to look at him for a certain amount of time."Everyone, we're currently surrounded by those bastards from the Silent Monastery. Prepare to slaughter our way to retreat..." Xia Bingyue declared with a ciitical tone.Above the tallest tree branch was the young man that Jiang Tian intimidated several days ago. Clad in the orange robes of the Silent Monastery, Tang Zemin clenched his fists and coldly stared at Xia Bingyue's figure. Ever since that humiliation, he swore that he would definitely make the Xia Clan suffer more than what he did."Xia Bingyue, the so-called Ice Empress of the Xia Clan. Possessing a cultivation of the peak Essence Condensation Realm. I wonder if she can withstand a single punch from my Asura Knuckles..." Tang Zemin glanced at his fists. There, a pair of crimson steel knuckles ominously shone under the fading sunlight."Bald monkeys from the broken down cemetery! Stop being mysterious and face us honestly!" A young man that looked like a mountain of flesh shouted from the front lines of the Xia Clan. His shout astonished his fellow disciples as they thought about how large his guts was for deliberately provoking the Silent Monastery.The young woman referred to as Lan'er stood beside the fatty and prepared charged her mystical tecnique. With her will, she could easily unleash a beam of destructive energy that would instantly vaporize her enemies.The gathered momentum of the channeling disciples formed a faint tempest of Spiritual Energy. Tang Zemin who saw all of these from the top lifted an amused smile on his lips."These mere clowns actually killed some of my fellow disciples? What a blunder, to think that we fought against each other for dozens of times but they still haven't discovered why they kept losing. Is everyone from the Xia Clan had muscles for brains?" Tang Zemin mumbled under his breath and disappointingly shook his head."It looks like today's battle is my victory once again..." Tang Zemin felt confident aboout his odds of winning. Particularly, when he and his fellow disciples had the mysterious Artifact that the Silent Monastery distributed.Tang Zemin glanced at his fellow disciples and looked for traces of Jiang Tian. When he didn't see him, he sighed in relief before descending down and declaring in a fierce voice."Get them, boys!"A thunderous chorus rang out and a fierce killing intent enveloped the entire area. The thirty or so disciples from the Silent Monastery, scattered and aimed for the most vulnerable target that they could find. Aiming to reduce the Xia Clan's fighting capabilities in the fastest speed possible."Protect the injured!" Xia Bingyue realized their goal and shouted and order. Forming a two-layered barrier that surrounded the injured disciples. Her fellow disciples banded together and protected their brothers."No matter what happens, I will never let these bastards kill more of my brothers!" Xia Lingxin whispered under his breath before dashing towards Tang Zemin's direction. He realized that Tang Zemin was the highest threat that needed to be eliminated as soon as possible.Xia Bingyue followed suit, her sword intertwined around her body in a protective manner.Tang Zemin who saw their approach lifted an amused smile and activated his Artifact that shone in a mysterious pinkish light. Xia Bingyue and Xia Lingxin raised their weapons in a defensive stance but didn't feel any impact."What's with that Artifact? It didn't do anything, could it be that it's a defensive Artifact?" She thought in her mind and continued her approach.Xia Lingxin faced Tang Zemin while Xia Bingyue attacked from behind. Tang Zemin applauded their smooth teamwork before stomping hard on the ground, sending rocks flying in the air and interrupting the two's attack.Xia Lingxin and Xia Bingyue backed away from the flying rocks. But Tang Zemin saw their next course of actions and kicked a boulder at Xia Bingyue's direction, all the while attacking Xia Lingxin with his fists.~SliceXia Bingyue sliced the boulder into pieces and dashed towards Tang Zemin's body. Sending a downward slash, Tang Zemin lifted his steel knuckles and parried it with his hand. The diverted momentum shook her body and staggered her to the side.Xia Lingxin took this opportunity and launched a thrust at Tang Zemin's direction."What an idiot..." Tang Zemin whispered in his mind and easily avoided it with a sidestep. However, Xia Lingxin's thrust didn't stop its movements and continued on towards the staggered Xia Bingyue."Lingxin, stop..."Clang!A sound of metal clashing metal echoed out, Tang Zemin laughed out loud before sending a sweeping kick at their figures, sending them flying towards a nearby tree trunk as blood exploded from their mouths."Senior Brother!""Senior Sister!"With just a single attack, Tang Zemin severely injured both parties as the minds of the remaining disciples from the Xia Clan fell into despair. Seeing that both of their strongest members were incapacitated, they started losing hope.Xia Bingyue stabbed her sword at the ground and saw that the exhausted Xia Lingxin directly lost his consciousness after enduring Tang Zemin's attack. Right now, she was the only hope of her fellow disciples. She couldn't afford to fall and die.Mustering all of her determination and willpower, she managed to stand up. Albeit, unstable, she stared at Tang Zemin's direction with a cold light within her eyes. Xia Lingxin who was known as the Sword Sovereign of their Clan couldn't possibly make such a basic mistake of miscalculating his sword's trajectory.Recalling their earlier exchange. Xia Bingyue noticed some disparities within Tang Zemin's movements that didn't align with her memories. Gnashing her teeth, she rotated her cultivation base and prepared to attack Tang Zemin once again.She a premontion that once she uncovered the source of that disparity. The Xia Clan may achieve a breakthrough when fighting against the disciples from the Silent Monastery."So the skill of the so-called Ice Empress is merely so-so. I expected a fierce struggle, but the two of you couldn't even last twenty exchanges before suffering severe injuries..." Tang Zemin shook his head before scanning Xia Bingyue's voloptuous body from head to toe. Licking his lips, he continued."How about you give up this battle and serve me for a single night? I guarantee you that I will retreat with my fellow disciples once you agree." Burning lust ignited within Tang Zemin's eyes. The beauties from the reclusive Silent Monastery couldn't compare to the beauty of the Ice Empress.The disciples from the XIa Clan who heard his words blushed with anger and fury as they shouted."Bald monkey! We may be defeated but we will never be humiliated! Senior Sister, kill that monkey for us!""That's right, that's right, there are no cowards from the Xia Clan! Today, there's only one road for us! Either we die or live!"Their roars ignited their morale and their counter-attacks intensified. The Fatty and the young woman referred to as Lan'er even instanty killed several Silent Monastery disciples in a single attack, further boosting their squad's morale.Tang Zemin's face went ugly and green. But he still stared hopefully at Xia Bingyue's figure and awaited her decision. Once she refused, he would immediately activate his Sect's Artifact and launch an attack with all of his might.Xia Bingyue felt the raging killing intent within Tang Zemin's eyes as her expression went frosty. Thrusting her sword towards the skies, she lifted an ambiguous smile on her lips and declared."Have you forgotten that I am known as the Ice Empress? Do you really think that you can easily defeat, someone like me that is publicly recognized by the Stellar Academy?"Tang Zemin's expression flickered, that's right, Xia Bingyue was publicly recognized as the Ice Empress due to her towering prowess and might, yet why did she easily crumble under a single attack from him? Tang Zemin felt confused and mystified."As the Ice Empress, my defensive capabilities are close to none, but my offensive prowess is at the extreme. If you're thinking that you're stronger than me just because you caught me off guard, then I am sorry to tell you this, but you're completely wrong!" She declared with a stern voice before rotating her cultivation base to the fullest.The cold wind that swept past the bodies of everyone turned frosty. The mud-like consistency of the ground transformed into ice and everything, around Xia Bingyue changed into a zone of Absolute Coldness. With her cultivation base and understanding of the Ice Laws as the fuel, Xia Bingyue activated her own domain!"I-I-Impossible...The information that was given to me said that you're merely at the peak of the Essence Condensation Realm. How could you manifest a domain?!" Tang Zemin's smugness disappeared, replaced by fear and apprehension toawrds the mysterious Xia Bingyue. Manifesting a domain was the specialty of a Foundation Establishment Expert.A domain was an area created using the cultivator's understanding of the laws that made the domain. Inside the area of the domain, the cultivator who manifested it was the absolute authority. But of course, such an overpowered power had its own weakness.And that was.Sufficient channeling time was necessary to fully manifest a domain.If he attacked now, Tang Zemin could interrupt her manifestation process and damage her with a backlash.Smiling viciously, Tang Zemin cursed Xia Bingyue's stupidity as he slid down the frosty ground and neared Xia Bingyue's figure. Seeing his approach, Xia Bingyue kept her composure and looked as carefree as ever.Her calm countenance disturbed Tang Zemin and made him wary about his surroundings. Enveloping his body in a shell of Spiritual Energy. He closed the distance between him and her. But before he could launch his attacks, the disciples from the Xia Clan were even faster. Sending a torrent of Spiritual Energy and Mystical Techniques, even Tang Zemin who was known for his strong physique couldn't possibly handle such an assault.Constant attacks followed him, forcing him to continuously retreat, leaving him with no chance to disrupt Xia Bingyue's channeling."Some of you bastards come here! Let's attack this bitch together and see if her fellow disciples can keep up with our movements!" When Xia Bingyue heard this words, she bit her lower lip until it bled. The support that she received from her fellow disciples could hardly keep Tang Zemin at bay, much less when he and his fellow disciples attacked her at the same time.Two disciples from the Silent Monastery accompanied Tang Zemin and they all dashed at her figure. Xia Bingyue's lips bled like crazy from her biting as she prayed that she could last until ten seconds.She only needed ten more seconds to complete her channeling and fully establish her domain!Tang Zemin and his brothers venomously laughed, stretching their fists outward, they aimed at Xia Bingyue's figure with a crazed light of victory in their eyes."Three more seconds!" Tears dripped down Xia Bingyue's eyes as apprehension enveloped her heart. The distance of several meters between her and Tang Zemin was basically non-existent. Closing her eyes and resigning to her fate, a wisp of jet-black light intervened at the critical moment, momentarily stopping the figures of the three."Zero!"Xia Bingyue shouted in her mind and the territory of Absolute Coldness expanded and roared with power, thoroughly engulfing the three and transforming them into ice sculptures along with their remaining disciples that fought against the disciples of the Xia Clan.Within an instant, under the overwhelming might of Xia Bingyue's domain, the battle that lasted for several hours ended.Sweeping her gaze over the relieved expressions of her fellow disciples. Xia Bingyue recalled the moment when the thread of jet-black light entered Tang Zemin and his brother's body. If not for the intervention of that light which forcefully stopped their bodies at the crucial moment, Xia Bingyue may have failed and her fellow disciples, massacred.As her consciousness swayed along with her body. Xia Bingyue caught a glimpse of the silhouette of a certain person that she greatly hated. Lifting a small smile on her face, she expressed her gratitude towards his actions before her consciousness, darkened.
