A Martial Odyssey

Chapter 16: The Virtuous Palace



Xiao Shuai began to scan his eyes around the grand hall before he sighed softly, “It seems that she is not here and she has purposely lured us here.”

Even though his voice was not loud but the crowd could hear it clearly.

The demure maiden nodded silently.

Xiao Shuai said, “If I tell you that I am looking for someone here, will you believe me?”

Gongsun Bai said coldly, “What do you think?”

Xiao Shuai smiled coldly, “It seems that you are master of this place. Very well, let assume that you are the only one that is fit to talk to me then. Who are you?”

The numerous pugilists that were eagerly watching the outcome were stunned that he did not know who Gongsun Bai was?

Gongsun Bai roared with tremendous laughter, “You don’t know who I am?”

Xiao Shuai said coldly, “You have asked who I am. I have told you. Surely you will return me the courtesy and tell me your name?”

Gongsun Bai was furious that this old man had actually blatantly declare that he did not know him yet he dare to barge into his domain? In the entire fraternity, even a commoner knows who he was.

Virtuous Palace or not, there was no one in the entire fraternity that he feared now. Moreover, the Virtuous Palace was a legend and no one had ever seen any protégés from the Virtuous Palace in the fraternity before.

Gu Tianle and Gongsun Jing immediately shouted, “How atrocious! You don’t even know who Master Gongsun Bai is?!”

Gu Tianle added, “You must be tired of living already! Let me teach you a lesson! Master Gongsun is the Grand Master of the Honor Manor and you are now in his place. If you do not bow before him, don’t blame me for not warning you!”

Xiao Shuai hummed coldly before saying, “I have no ill-intention and I am already being extremely tolerant.”

Gongsun Bai said coldly, “You have no ill-intention and yet you have killed my men?”

Xiao Shuai laughed aloud, “Don’t be misunderstood. I have merely taught them a lesson. They are still alive.”

Gongsun Bai asked, “They are alive?”

Xiao Shuai said, “Really, you can take a look if you want.”

Gongsun Bai said, “If they are alive, then where are they now?”

Xiao Shuai said, “If you lose an arm then the pain will be agonizing, am I right? If you are in pain, will you have the strength to do anything else?”

Gongsun Bai said coldly, “And you are saying you are coming to help the Honor Manor?”

Xiao Shuai said, “They are rude to me and refuses to allow me to enter the Gongsun Manor even after I have said I am from the Virtuous Palace. Therefore I have to teach them a small lesson.”

Gongsun Bai said coldly, “Unfortunately, you have already offended the Honor Manor. Do you think I will let you off just like this?”

Xiao Shuai looked at the pugilists slowly, “It seems that there are so many top exponents here. It seems foolhardy for me to fight against everyone, am I right?”

All the pugilists began to smile bitterly. In fact many of the pugilists were secretly hoping that this ‘Xiao Shuai’ would help them to teach Gongsun Bai a lesson. It was because under his dominating influence, many of the martial clans had suffered exceedingly.

Gongsun Bai said coldly, “Is there anyone in the congregation that believes your nonsense?”

Zuo Tianyi had been looking intently at the demure maiden who was standing beside the wrinkled old man for a long time…

She had not changed at all.

She was Ding Yunzi, his distant cousin.

They were both around the same age.

He remembered that when Ding Yunzi was just a young girl, she would often visit him with her mother. In time to come, the visits got less and less frequent and turned into a bi-yearly visit. When he was eighteen, her visits had totally stopped all of a sudden…

And ten years had almost passed since they had last seen each other…

Each time when she had come, she seemed to hide a terrible sorrow and would often cry alone in the night. He knew because he had secretly eavesdropped outside her room.

Even though everyone had called him a prodigy swordsman but it was not entirely the truth.

It was because many of his improvements were attributed to her.

She would secretly impart to him several sword techniques and corrected his sword strokes so that he would be able to improve. He had no idea how she had acquainted her sword skills and she had never discussed it.

In his heart, she was his little protégé mistress and the very reason why he was always training day in and night out so that one day, he would proudly be able to demonstrate his skills to her and earned her praise.

He sworn that one day, he would be her protector and dreamed of the day that she would be his wife…

But that day had never come because she had suddenly disappeared from the face of the earth.

He would often ask his grandfather on her whereabouts and her origins but the Old Sword Saint would shake his head and said, “She is in a faraway place.”

When he asked his grandfather when he was twenty-two that he would find her and bring her back as his wife, his grandfather flew into a rage and scolded him, “With your puny skills, do you think you are able to reach that immoral place alive? You have better forget her, the sooner the better!”

He replied coldly, “I have nothing to fear…”

Before he could finish, the Old Sword Saint had slapped him hard and rebuked him sharply, “That is an immoral place and she is an immoral woman. Do not ever mention her in front of me, ever again!”

He had tried to enquiry others on her whereabouts but no one was willing to tell him. Finally an elder had secretly told him, “That place is a fearsome place and one of the martial holy grounds of the martial fraternity. No one really knows where it is. If you want to go there, you have to be as good as the Sword Saint. Otherwise you will really die there.”

He had never forgotten her; she was the only reason for his existence and the reason why he pushed himself so hard. He was lonely, very lonely…

It was only when he was practicing his sword, could he feel her presence and of the times that they were together.

He could only mutter now, “Is that really you? I have grown old yet you look exactly the same as ten years ago…”

When Ji Lingfeng saw Zuo Tianyi looking intently at the demure maiden, she began to recall the time when she was alone with him a year ago…

She had asked him, “Why are you closing your eyes? Are you shy or are you blind? Or you are despising me because I am from the unorthodox sect?”

Zuo Tianyi opened his eyes and smiled, “None of the above.”

Ji Lingfeng asked coldly, “Hmph, then why are you not looking at me?”

Zuo Tianyi sighed and he seemed to look at a faraway place, “If only you are her…”

Ji Lingfeng asked coolly, “So you already have a sweetheart. Who is she?”

Zuo Tianyi began to tremble as he said, “She is someone that I will never see again in my entire life…”

Ji Lingfeng looked at the demure maiden and thought, “She is the one that Zuo Tianyi is longing for?”

Her thoughts were interrupted when Gongsun Bai roared mightily and everyone could feel his martial power. He began to take a step forward and immediately, the stone flooring beneath him began to crack!

Gongsun Bai had just attained a new level in his Invincible Divine Force and he was lamenting of an opponent to test his new martial power.

And this old man here may be a suitable target for him!

In front of the pugilists today, he was going to demonstrate his martial power and to awestruck them so that none of them would go against him in the future.

Xiao Shuai said, “What a mighty martial power! Is this the Invincible Divine Force?”

Gongsun Bai replied coldly, “That’s right!”

Xiao Shuai said, “This skill needs at least sixty years of martial power to even begin to start practicing and it is an extremely difficult to learn but powerful skill. Even if you train day and night, most people will not be able to go past the basics even when they are sixty. And you have reached the advance stage already. Very Impressive!”

Gongsun Bai said, “Indeed. This skill has many difficulties...”

Xiao Shuai replied, “And it is incomplete too.”

Gongsun snarled, “How do you know?”

Xiao Shuai hummed coldly, “It is not only incomplete and dangerous to practice too. I know because the Invincible Divine Force that you have is a copy from the Virtuous Palace!”

The pugilists began to rumble among themselves.

Xiao Shuai simply added, “The Virtuous Palace deliberately left it in the central plains thirty years ago. I didn’t expect that you are actually its new owner. How on earth did you manage to decipher it when so many of us had failed? This is so interesting.”

Gongsun Bai refused to answer him because there were many other pugilists in the grand hall. And moreover this old man knew that a fight was forthcoming and the two of them were actually maneuvering for the best advantage.

The one that helped him to decipher and added to the intricate formula of the Invincible Divine Force was Shui Yichi, the wife of Yi Tianxing. He hated Yi Tianxing for having such a good wife when he should be the one that she ought to marry.

He glanced at Yi Ping briefly with his murderous intent.

Gongsun Bai said, “You are not weak either, judging by your martial power when you throw the sword.”

Indeed, the two of them had peak their martial power. A decisive win would depend on their true skills and techniques.

Gongsun Bai said, “But today, you will surely die here. I will not allow another person to undermine my authority and will not tolerate anyone to be a threat to me.”

Xiao Shuai looked solemnly at him, “Is that so?”

Gongsun Bai said, “When top exponents duel with one another, besides martial power and techniques, the human factor and the timing are also an important factor.”

Xiao Shuai shifted slightly, “That is right!”

Gongsun Bai said, “We are almost equal in martial power and strength. I have the full support of the congregation and that is the human factor. I can attack you with no fear of hesitation but you can’t. This is my domain and I have the timing. Timing, Terrain and human factor, which one have you got?”

Xiao Shuai lowered his gaze before saying, “Indeed, I have none of it.”

Gongsun Bai said coldly, “If you bow to me, I may consider sparing your life.”

Xiao Shuai hummed coldly, “You are asking an old man that is twenty-years your senior to bow to you?”

Gongsun Bai laughed, “Everyone bows to me in the fraternity and you are no exception!”

Yi Ping had regained some of his conscious and strength. He was clenching his fists in rage at Gongsun Bai’s arrogance.

Xiao Shuai said coldly, “So if I don’t, you will surely kill me. So will the pugilists all attack me at the same time or you will?”

Gongsun Bai laughed, “You don’t have to go around in circles. I am looking for a good fight. It is too easy to crash you by asking others to do so. But I want to let the whole fraternity to know this; anyone that dares to offend me will rue the day they are born! I will let them die in the most painful manner.”

Venerable Master Deng Zhong, the Head Abbot of the Monument Monastery immediately muttered, “Merciful Buddha!”

Many of the orthodox clans were silent. No one dared to mutter anything against Gongsun Bai out of fear.

Xiao Shuai said, “When I fight with others, my disciple will fight side by side with me…”

The demure maiden shook her head in panic and took several steps backward!

Gu Tianle interrupted and raised his voice angrily, “You cunning old man! Two versus one? You really know how to take advantage. Then you don’t mind that I take a part too?”

Xiao Shuai smiled bitterly, “I really don’t mind. It is my style to fight in pair.”

Gongsun Bai looked at the attractive demure maiden and smiled, “If she is not afraid of getting killed, then she can join in. I will hate to kill someone like her. More hands don’t mean more advantage.”

The less confident his opponent had, the higher his odds of winning!

Gongsun Bai said, “What is your weapon?”

Xiao Shuai said coldly, “My sword of course. What about yours?”

Gongsun Bai smiled, “With my bare hands. I have stopped using a weapon ten years ago. As long as the weapon is my heart, I can kill.”

Xiao Shuai exclaimed aloud, “That is the extraordinary martial stage of without a weapon in your hand and having a weapon in the heart. You have attained that stage?”

Gongsun Bai replied proudly, “That is right.”

The pugilists presented were awestruck. It was because even though many pugilists understood that principle but few people could really reach that level of attainment. Only a few super exponents like Gongsun Bai, Gu Tianle, Jue Yuan and the Celestial Fairy could possibly reach that stage.

Even the Sword Saint who was highly acclaimed for his martial prowess did not reach that level of attainment…

Xiao Shuai sighed, “It seems that I have met a formidable opponent today. Yunzi, fetch me my sword.”

Now the pugilists knew that her name was Yunzi.

She walked unhurriedly to the beautifully adorned long sword that was thrust into the ground, pulled it out before walking back to her protégé master and handing the long sword back to him.

Some of the pugilists were secretly jeering at Xiao Shuai. They were cursing, “He had denied that he was the one that threw the long sword and now he was asking for his sword. What a joke!”

The demure maiden began to distance herself from Xiao Shuai by walking all the way to the entrance!

Xiao Shuai looked annoyed and sighed, “Nowadays, even my own disciple cannot be trusted. In times of crisis, each is on their own.”

Gongsun Bai said coldly, “Are you done yet?”

Xiao Shuai brandished his long sword, “I'm ready!”

Gongsun Bai immediately raised his martial power and charged at Xiao Shuai!

That Gongsun Bai could raise his martial power in such a short time astonished the pugilists presented!

Xiao Shuai immediately swung his sword in a circular movement and thrown it towards the charging Gongsun Bai!

The flying sword sped like lightning and flew towards Gongsun Bai! This was the exact flying sword technique that everyone had seen earlier!

The flying sword was filled with extraordinary powerful martial power as it sped towards Gongsun Bai!

Even though this flying sword was startling fast, it was simple too straightforward and it was all too easy for Gongsun Bai to dodge it!

As soon as Gongsun Bai evaded the attack and charged towards Xiao Shuai again, the flying sword struck the wall behind Gongsun Bai and rebounded again with a startling force towards him again!

Gongsun Bai hummed coldly; this was just a small nuisance to him.

He simply raised his right hand and used his famous Ironclad Claw Skill with the full martial power of his Invincible Divine Force.

As soon the flying sword flew back towards him and impacted onto his right hand, it was deflected and dropped onto the ground!

Gongsun Bai was now in front of Xiao Shuai and was exchanging blows with him!

They were exchanging blows so fast that the pugilists could only see their body being stationary but their hands and legs were just shades of shadow!

Gongsun Bai was heard saying, “It is no use. Nothing can penetrate my Invincible Divine Force!”

To prove his point, he no longer defended against Xiao Shuai attacks once he had gauged the strength of his martial power!

Xiao Shuai attacks had landed on him harmlessly!

Gongsun Bai laughed coldly and said, “Now you will die…”

But before he could finish, Xiao Shuai had smashed through his Invincible Divine Force, not once but several times on several parts of his body, including his head and face!

Both Yi Ping and Ji Lingfeng gasped to themselves, “That is the Penetrating Hands?!”

Gongsun Bai was momentary stunned and startled…

He had not sense any martial power increase coming from Xiao Shuai and yet when he was struck, it seemed that Xiao Shuai attacking strength had increased several folds!

Just when he was about to step backward…

At this moment of time, the demure maiden had silently drew her sword and had whirled it in a circular movement around her more than a dozen times in less than a split second and had sent her long sword flying towards Gongsun Bai!

Qiu Wufeng was famous for his silent swordplay and was given the fraternity name of Windless Swordsman. He was proud of his fraternity name. No one else would attack as silently as him.

But this demure and attractive maiden, she had actually drawn out her long sword so silently and so quickly that it was unbelievable!

If he had not witnessed it personal himself, he would never have believed it!

He was not the only one that was staring in disbelief, the rest of the pugilists that had noticed it were staring in complete disbelief!

Qiu Wufeng and Nangong Le had noticed it because they were looking at her lecherously! They were thinking if this Xiao Shuai had died, then this poor maiden would suffer a terrible fate and it would be a great pity should that happened. So they were looking at her and watching her expressions. But all of a sudden, she had brandish out her long sword…

And her flying sword too, was filled with martial power as it sped towards Gongsun Bai!

In that split second, she had brandished her long sword, whirled it more than a dozen times and sent it flying towards Gongsun Bai in the same second!

Her flying sword flew with startling speed between Gongsun Bai and Xiao Shuai!

Gongsun Bai still had his arms extending in front when he was suddenly struck multiple times by Xiao Shuai!

So when her flying sword flew across between them, it sliced off the arms of Gongsun Bai!

Gongsun Bai yelled aloud in pain as blood from his arm came rushing forth in all directions as Xiao Shuai leapt backward!

While he was still yelling in pain, the flying sword rebounded against the hall pillar and back towards him again, cutting off his head!

When her sword had cut off Gongsun Bai’s head, it continued on its path and back into the hands of the demure maiden who whirled the long sword again, cleaning its blade from the blood stains before she sheathed it back into her scabbard!

All these happened so fast that no one was able to react to what was happening!

This quiet, seemingly innocent and attractive maiden was actually a top exponent! It just did not match her age and image!

The numerous pugilists of the various sects and clans were stunned into silence! Gongsun Bai, the most powerful man in the entire fraternity was now a dead man! He had died very quickly but in great agony…

Gongsun Jing had immediately fainted on the spot when he witnessed his father’s death and several protégés of the Honor Manor began to crowd around him panicky to check on his condition.

Xiao Shuai had picked up his long sword as he said, “It is still safer to have a weapon in the hands. Alas, he is all talk and no substance. Martial skills, timing, terrain and human factor, I have none but yet I have won?”

He muttered to himself, “If you have the patience to practice for another twenty years, then maybe you would be truly invincible.”

No one could really understand how this mysterious old man and maiden could bypass Gongsun Bai’s Invincible Divine Force!

No one else but Yi Ping! He had personally witnessed the martial power of the Penetrating Hand! When the Penetrating Hand had breached the Invincible Divine Force, Gongsun Bai’s martial power had dropped considerably that even the demure maiden’s flying sword could slice through his arms…

Yi Ping wondered if Gongsun Bai still had his Invincible Divine Force at its full martial power, would he still be able to deflect her first flying sword strike? He could still remember how hard his sword arm had trembled after he had used his full martial power to deflect the flying sword earlier…

Then it suddenly occurred to Yi Ping that this old man was trying to conceal his Penetrating Hands from the eyes of the onlookers and created an illusion that a sneak attack had been made by the demure maiden! It seemed that they had planned it right from the very start…

Zuo Tianyi too was stunned.

Her sword strength was even more powerful than him even after so many years had passed?

Yi Ping could not resist laughing coldly, “Good! Gongsun Bai is dead!”

Xiao Shuai said coldly, “Let’s us go. There is nothing that interests us here.”

Gu Tianle had stepped forward in rage, “Do you think the Honor Manor will let you off so lightly after what you have done? How despicable are you! There are two of you against one. Where is the martial justice?”

Xiao Shuai laughed coldly, “Are you deaf? Right from the start, Gongsun Bai had said he had agreed to fight the two of us together.”

He paused for a while before adding, “He deserved to die because he was too suspicious. I have already warned him that the sword was hurled by my disciple but alas, he did not believe me. If he had believed me, he wouldn’t be killed.”

He began to turn back and walked slowly towards the entrance.

Gu Tianle began to shout, “Everyone, get him together! Avenge for Master Gongsun!”

But no one dared to move and was looking at one another for leadership.

Some of the pugilists were even thinking; if they were to all charge at the duo and if they suddenly throw their flying swords at them, would they be able to evade from it with so many people pushing around them?

There were many pugilists that were even thinking; so that was how they had thrown the sword and it could fly just like that? They were all thinking of trying it as soon as they got the chance. However, they did not know that the secret technique to turn it into a flying sword was more complex that it appeared. Without knowing the secret techniques to do so, it was just a futile and clumsy try.

Gu Tianle looked at everyone. They had never disobeyed the Honor Manor before. The minute Gongsun Bai had died, everyone seemed to have rebel!

Gu Tianle shouted again, “Avenge for Master Gongsun!”

Venerable Master Deng Zhong responded, “Merciful Buddha.”

That was the only response so far!

All of a sudden, Yi Ping had freed himself from the embracing support of Ji Lingfeng and stepped forward as he trembled uncontrollably!

Yi Ping raised his voice, “Maiden, hold your steps!”

Was this maiden the one that had killed his wife?

Zuo Tianyi was surprised that Yi Ping still had the strength to move as he thought, “Is he human? There are so many deep slashes on him and his wounds are still bleeding…”

Yi Ping shouted again, “Do you know me or been to the Heavenly Mountains before?”

The demure maiden turned back and took a glance at him before she replied simply, “No. I have never been there before.”

Yi Ping was startled and he thought, “No, that is impossible. It has to be her. But her voice is different…”

She seemingly looked at everyone. But she was actually looking intently at Zuo Tianyi and Yi Ping before she disappeared from sight.

Just when Yi Ping was about to go after her, Gu Tianle had immediately confronted Yi Ping and said, “They can leave but not you. You have insulted our Master and who knows, you may be in cahoots with them. If I let you go off just like that, how am I going to account to all the heroes that are here?”

Ji Lingfeng was besides Yi Ping in an instant as she said coldly, “You are the so call Warrior-God of the martial fraternity? Just a few minutes ago, you are like a lamb when they are still here. The minute that they had vanished from sight, you are like a lion. You are really a coward!”

Yi Ping was worried for Ji Lingfeng as he knew that sometimes she could not mince her words, so he added icily, “He is only capable of bullying the weak. Where was he when Gongsun Bai got killed? If he is really not a coward, he would have confronted that Xiao Shuai just a minute ago!”

The pugilists began to turn and murmured to one another. All of a sudden, the grand hall became very incessantly noisy!

Gu Tianle was enraged; he raised his martial power and attacked Yi Ping with the ‘Ultrapowerful Hand Force’! A seemingly unstoppable force began to hurl itself onto Yi Ping as he shouted, “Don’t be too haughty, young man! There is always a sky above a sky!”

Yi Ping raised his right palm to meet the incoming blow!

Even as Yi Ping had mustered all his remaining strength to accept the incoming blow, Ji Lingfeng was even more agile and had flown past him to intercept the blow on his behalf!

She had raised all her martial power in her right palm and she had clashed headlong with Gu Tianle!

When the pugilists saw that, many in the crowd began to shake their heads and many had already imagined that the young maiden would die instantly on the spot!

There was a huge thunderous clap in that instant and true to the predictions of the pugilists, Ji Lingfeng spit out blood as she flew backwards and fell onto the ground!

In that instant, Ji Lingfeng had used the Holy Amalgamate Skill and had gathered all her martial power into that one blow! But Gu Tianle’s Ultrapowerful Force Hand was simply too powerful and she was seriously injured in just one clash!

Gu Tianle’s palm began to tremble as he shouted angrily, “You are from the Holy Hex Sect?”

The pugilists were startled. This young maiden was from the Holy Hex Sect?

The Holy Hex Sect was now the leader of the various Unorthodox Clans and also the enemy of the Orthodox Fraternity!

In that clash of blows, Gu Tianle could feel the martial power drain in his palm! The Holy Amalgamate Skill was one of those few martial skills that could cause a draining effect. Luckily, his opponent martial power was much weaker than him and the drain effect had only a minor effect on him.

Ji Lingfeng smiled weakly on the ground, “Yi Ping, don’t worry about me. I will be alright. Run please…”

Nangong Le wanted to rush to help Ji Lingfeng but his chest was hurting. He was also afraid of Gu Tianle and the rest of the pugilists...

When Yi Ping saw how badly Ji Lingfeng was injured as she fought to defend him, his entire body was filled with burning rage!

He immediately attacked Gu Tianle, using all his remaining strength with the Asper Horizon Hand!

Gu Tianle was not slow to react and had mustered his Ultrapowerful Force Hand again!

With that, their palms clashed against one another and there was a huge thunderclap!

Gu Tianle was pushed back five steps and as he stumbled back, he quickly lifted a breath of vital energy and steadied himself!

Yi Ping was pushed seven steps back and he was coughing a lot of blood!

The orthodox pugilists were stunned. A seriously injured young person like Yi Ping could actually withstand a blow from Gu Tianle and still stood, it was indeed a miracle!

Even Qiu Wufeng and Zuo Tianyi thought, “This young man, he can still stand? Is he made of steel?”

Ji Lingfeng was in tears as she said to herself, “No good! He has already been injured in the earlier clash with Jue Yuan and Zuo Tianyi. His breathing has not recovered yet and now he has exerted himself further.”

Gu Tianle said, “Young man, it is wiser for you to surrender!”

Yi Ping replied angrily, “I will not give up…” His eyes had now turned red and his entire body was now trembling.

The crowd was stunned that he could still stand on the ground. It was obvious to the pugilists that Yi Ping was now in a daze judging from his blood shot eyes and from the amount of blood that he had coughed out!

Gu Tianle said, “Very well, I shall grant your very wish and sent you to the maker with a blow!” Once again, he charged at Yi Ping with his hand forward.

This time, Gu Tianle had decided to use all his martial power.

Yi Ping laughed coldly, “You think that I dare not?” He mustered all his strength and displayed the Asper Horizon Hand!

Ji Lingfeng cried out, “Yi Ping! Don’t force yourself!” It was because when the practitioner vital energy was not in harmony, especially after sustaining internal injuries, further use of the Asper Horizon Hand or any skill that required martial power would only add on to the injuries!

Moreover this was already the third time that Yi Ping had used the Asper Horizon Hand without any respites!

Again, there was a thunderous explosive impact when both palms met! The windforce created by the impact was so strong many of the pugilists could barely stand still!

Gu Tianle took three steps back and coughed out blood!

Yi Ping took three steps back too! But he had turned extremely pale in appearance and was not moving!

Gu Tianle and the rest of the pugilists were stunned as they thought, “Is he not human? Why didn’t he fall yet?”

The very old pugilists knew that when a person was closed to death, their last vital breath was actually the most powerful and this Yi Ping had used up all his martial power!

Ji Lingfeng knew instantly that something had happened to Yi Ping!

Before anyone could react, she dived forward towards Gu Tianle and attacked him!

Gu Tianle immediately raised his hand again and thought, “This young maiden still have the strength to stand?”

When he saw the wavering images of her incoming hand, he was startled and mustered all his martial power! This was because the young maiden had just displayed the Asper Horizon Hand too and he could not afford to be careless as he thought, “She knows the Asper Horizon Hand too?”

Even before the pugilists could steady themselves, there was yet another thunderous clap that sent everyone moving backward again!

Gu Tianle was seen moving five steps backward and coughing out blood!

Like the Asper Horizon Hand, even though the Ultrapowerful Force Hand was an epitome powerful attack skill, it was too powerful and the practitioners of such a deadly attacking skill would risk overextending themselves. Gu Tianle had used it consecutively four times in a row and the backlash for overextending was severe internal injuries!

Ji Lingfeng stumbled onto the ground again and her face turned extremely pale!

But before Gu Tianle and the rest of the pugilists even knew what was happening, she had suddenly picked herself up again!

She grabbed Yi Ping and both quickly disappeared over the high walls of the Gongsun Residence in an instant!

As if Yi Ping extraordinary endurance was not astounding enough, many of the pugilists were further amazed at her extraordinary swiftness movement skill! They had never seen anyone vanished from sight this fast!


Ch16 End
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Chapter 18: Xiao Youxue



The Celestial Fairy looked intently at Xiao Shuai.

She had first taken a liking to him in the past for he was courageous, humorous and full of wiles. He had even warn her to be careful of the Penetrating Hands and similar types of martial arts should she encountered it in the future.

But the more she had spent time with him, the more she realized that he was just a selfish person and there were many things that he had intentional concealed.

In the end, everyone was like a tool to him to be made use of.

That was when she began to distance herself from him and became closer to Han Shaodong…

She asked softly, “Why is that when you have mentioned your daughter, you have such a murderous intent in your eyes? It seems that you want her dead more than I.”

Xiao Shuai smiled bitterly, “That is because she dared to hinder my martial progression and dare to break the rules of the Virtuous Palace or else I would have mastered the Virtuous Divine Force by now. I can’t allow you to kill her before I do. I will drink her blood and eat her heart when I find her.”

The Celestial Fairy said coldly, “You are not a good father…”

She began to turn back as she said softly, “Yu’Er and Mei’Er, let’s us go. He is not worth our time to bother with.”

Xiao Shuai called out, “Xian’Er, don’t go. You have not told me why you want my daughter dead? I am sure with your state of divinity, you will not go around the fraternity just to find a single person even if she had slight you…”

The Celestial Fairy said softly as she disappeared into the darkness with her protégés, “It is because she wants to kill someone dear to my heart…”

Xiao Shuai stood on the same spot for a long time. When he had heard what she had said, his heart became very heavy.

Ding Yunzi called out gently to him, “Master? Are you alright?”

Xiao Shuai clenched his fists as he muttered, “Then I will have to kill that person first…Xian’Er, why can’t you understand my difficulties?”

Ding Yunzi asked demurely, “Master, are we letting them off just like that?”

Xiao Shuai stared at Ding Yunzi, “Then you are expecting me to kill her?”

Ding Yunzi kept quiet.



When Ji Lingfeng had escaped from the Gongsun Manor, she had picked an unlikely route to escape her pursuers. If she had gone in the direction of Xiao Shuai, perhaps she could have chance upon Xiao Shuai and the Celestial Fairy…

Ji Lingfeng put her hand over her chest as she coughed out blood! She dropped Yi Ping and immediately collapsed besides a shady tree.

She hoped that her attack would be fatal to Gu Tianle so that she could avenge for her father.

Her breathing was now weak and her vital energies erratic. She was now at a risk of losing her life unless she could restore her vital energy flow.

That was because immediately after using the Asper Horizon Hand earlier in the grand hall of the Gongsun Manor despite her internal injuries, she did not pause to restore her vital breath and to circular the flow of her vital energies to restore its balance.

Instead, she had further stressed her erratic vital energies by forcefully using all her remaining vital energies as she grabbed Yi Ping to escape the Gongsun Manor.

She was even more worried about Yi Ping than herself.

Disregarding her own safety, she placed her left hand on Yi Ping’s back and begun to transfer her own vital energies into him while mediating the Divine Revelation at the same time to restore her own vital energy flow.

She was worried for Yi Ping. That was because he had been unconscious for some time and even if he could regain his consciousness, he would be paralyzed for life…

That was why she was not wasting any more precious time.

But as her own vital energy flow had not yet been restored, her efforts took a great toil on her body and she began to feel giddy after some time!

She gritted her teeth and thought, “I mustn’t fall asleep… If I fall asleep now, both of us will die here.” No matter what happens, she was determined not to lose Yi Ping even at her own expenses!

Even though her resolute was great but her body could not cope and she was now in a half daze state…

All of a sudden, she sniffed a strong fragrant scent from behind her. A beautiful slender hand was on Yi Ping’s back as well as her back!

She opened her eyes and saw a lady in a straw veiled hat that was besides her!

The lady in the veiled straw hat said calmly, “Don’t you worry; I will do my best to save him. You should try to recuperate for yourself first.”

The voice of the lady in the veiled straw hat was young but Ji Lingfeng could feel a soothing transference of vital energy that halts the reversal of her blood flow. This mysterious young lady internal strength was not weak!

She quickly seized the opportunity to lift a vital breath with the Divine Revelation Skill from the energy infusion and began to circulate it throughout her vitality channels, restoring the broken vital energy flow.

After a long while, her breathing had become normal and the feeling of death had departed! She thought, “Lucky!”

She opened her eyes and looked at the mysterious lady in the veiled straw hat. She was still transferring her internal strength into Yi Ping and treating his internal injuries. It was a monument task because Yi Ping had completely lost conscious and the internal injuries sustained by Yi Ping were not light!

Moreover he was also suffering from external wounds and was still bleeding profusely…

Ji Lingfeng had sustained severe internal injuries herself. Even though she had restored her vital energy flow, her martial power would be drastically reduced and it would be a full three months of intensive mediation cultivation before she could fully recovered!

One could imagine how many folds Yi Ping internal injuries had been! He had exerted himself much more severely than anyone could have imagined. It was a miracle that he did not die on the spot!

Who was this mysterious lady? Ji Lingfeng sighed in her heart. She thought that she had finally found the man that she could love and find happiness in. But this was one too many for her young tender heart to take.

A martial practitioner would never give or expended their vital energy strength needlessly, which was also called internal strength to another. It was because vital energy strength once expended was difficult to recuperate back.

Not only would it put the practitioner in danger if interrupted, they would also expose themselves in danger while recuperating. At the same time, while waiting for the lost vital energies to recover, the practitioner could not practice any internal martial arts or else they would only endanger their own lives, hence slowing down their martial progression!

But this mysterious lady was readied to expend her vital energies for Yi Ping. If she was not somewhat related to him or love him enough to make the sacrifice, she would not risk it. Moreover Yi Ping was dying and her efforts would likely to be futile.

She clutched her heart in sorrow as she thought of this. Earlier, she had pushed herself to her very limits and even if she had failed, she would die together with him. But now, watching Yi Ping dying besides her and with another lady was heart-wrenching for her!

After a long time, the mysterious lady said. “I manage to protect his heart. He will live for now but his internal injuries are simply too heavy. I will try to restore his broken vital channels but if that fail, he would be paralyzed for life.”

At this, Ji Lingfeng could not resist asking, “Who are you? Why are you sacrificing so much just for him? Do you have any relations with him?” These were the questions that she been asking herself and now, she could not resist asking anymore.

The mysterious lady sighed and said melancholy, “Who I am? I am just a nameless nobody to him.”

Ji Lingfeng said, “At least you should have a name…”

The mysterious lady said with a great sorrow, “Xiao Youxue is my name…it is a cursed name.”

Ji Lingfeng made a quick guess, “You like him but there is a feud between the two of you?”

Xiao Youxue nodded gently.

Ji Lingfeng sighed, “Can it be resolved?”

Xiao Youxue shook her head, “It is impossible. This is a blood feud.”

Ji Lingfeng said, “Yi Ping has a magnanimous heart and is kind. Surely nothing is impossible to resolve.”

Xiao Youxue replied coolly, “Will you forgive the killer of your wife? And still likes her?”

Ji Lingfeng gasped. The yellow dressed maiden that Yi Ping had mentioned to her before was her! She was the one that Yi Ping had been searching for. She was also the one that had fought with her brother two years ago!

This revelation shocked her. She had thought that both of them had a blood feud and that both of them would be at odds with each other!

She had never expected that this maiden would also be in love with him…

Ji Lingfeng asked, “Did he know?”

Xiao Youxue shook her head and said, “He don’t even know my name and who I am. He only knows that I am the one that he is looking for to avenge his late wife.”

Ji Lingfeng said, “You can hide it from him. Perhaps the both of you can be together…”

Xiao Youxue said, “I will never be able to live with that feeling of guilt in my heart. Moreover…”

She paused for a while before looking intently at her, “I can tell that you like him a lot. And maybe both of you are a couple already.”

Ji Lingfeng said, “Don’t misunderstand! We are not.”

Xiao Youxue said, “Is that so? That you are willing to sacrifice yourself for him and you don’t like him? I don’t believe.”

Ji Lingfeng was silence.

Xiao Youxue added, “Even though we are strangers, I have been completely honest with you.”

Ji Lingfeng melancholy said, “Indeed you have. I am sorry…but we are indeed not a couple and not in any relation. He doesn’t like me at all.”

Xiao Youxue said, “Surely he is blind!”

Ji Lingfeng smiled and said, “Yes he is blind!”

But her mood turned somber and she said, “I am from a heretic sect and we are simply from two opposite worlds. There will soon be a battle for supremacy between the orthodox fraternity and the unorthodox fraternity. I don’t even know if I can live through this.”

Xiao Youxue nodded as she added, “There may be still a way for the two of you to be together. If both of you are willing to quit the martial fraternity, then you can be together.”

Ji Lingfeng added, “That is not possible for me. I can never leave my brother in this moment of crisis. There will be a lot of bloodshed and no matter where I go after that, the exponents of the fraternity will follow me.”

She smiled and added, “Moreover, like you say. He is blind and he does not like me.”

Xiao Youxue was silence. She had seen them in the streets earlier and they were talking like old friends. When she had overheard that they were going to the Honor Manor to settle a score against Gongsun Bai, she had immediately feared for Yi Ping.

Therefore, she took a personal gambit to lure Xiao Shuai and Ding Yunzi who was hot on her heels to the Honor Manor…

All of a sudden, Xiao Youxue said. “I realize that you seem to recover rather quickly. You take only three hours to balance your vital energy flow and I am expecting something like twelve hours or more.”

Ji Lingfeng said, “That is why I am able to chat with you!”

Xiao Youxue suddenly turned somber and said, “I hope that you keep our conversation to yourself and not to divulge anything to him. I don’t want him to know anything.”

Ji Lingfeng said, “I promise you but you must not tell him what I told you too.”

Xiao Youxue asked, “Not to tell him what?”

Ji Lingfeng thought she was clever but this maiden was even cleverer. This was the first time that she had been outmaneuvered for words!

She sighed and said unwillingly, “Hmph, you really mustn’t tell him that I like him!”

Xiao Youxue chuckled softly, “I promise you then!”

Ji Lingfeng sighed again, “Or else I need to dig myself a hole in the ground and covered my face with dirt!”

All of a sudden Xiao Youxue said, “Weird. Yi Ping seems to have two vital energies in his body. The first one was broken but there is another weaker vital energy that is more intact.”

Ji Lingfeng asked hurriedly, “That means he has a hope?”

Xiao Youxue nodded, “I have never seen or heard anything like this. But yes, there is a hope!”

Ji Lingfeng could discreetly see Xiao Youxue tears dripping onto her dress even though she was veiled.

Xiao Youxue said, “The weaker vital energy must be the ‘Icy Heavenly Tears Intricate Energy’. It has taken less considerably damage and if I can get it to back to its proper meridian channels…”

Ji Lingfeng heart sunk. She interrupted sadly, “The ‘Icy Heavenly Tears Intricate Energy’ is different from normal intricate energy. Only the practitioners of the Eternal Ice Palace practiced the ‘Icy Heavenly Tears Intricate Energy’. Only a practitioner of the ‘Icy Heavenly Tears intricate Energy’ can channel to another person with the ‘Icy Heavenly Tears Intricate Energy’.”

Xiao Youxue said, “I just happen to practice the ‘Icy Heavenly Tears Intricate Energy’.”

Ji Lingfeng asked startled, “You know the Icy Heavenly Tears!?”

Xiao Youxue said, “That is a long story. My grandmother was the direct protégé of the Protégé Mistress of the Eternal Ice Palace in the past.” That was all that she could say for now. That was the start of her tragedy and her family tragedy.

All of a sudden, she gasped again, “What is it? His vital signs seem to be returning so soon! This is indeed extraordinary!”

Ji Lingfeng asked, “What happens?”

Xiao Youxue said, “As soon as I linked the ‘Icy Heavenly Tears Intricate Energy’, his scattered vital energies seem to increase again. It is as though, it is regenerating on its own accord! But where does the source of the vital energy come from?”

Ji Lingfeng said excitedly, “Could it be that, he has accidentally cleared his Conception Vessel and the Governing Vessel?”

Xiao Youxue was startled. He had cleared his Conception Vessel and the Governing Vessel at such a young age?

Xiao Youxue took out her pouch and took a small golden pill and popped it into Yi Ping mouth as she once again exercised her internal energy into his body.

Ji Lingfeng said, “That golden pill is the great rejuvenation golden pill?”

Xiao Youxue said, “That’s right. That is the last one I have. It has the ability to speed healing and added to the martial power growth of the practitioner.”

Ji Lingfeng was flabbergasted. The ‘Great Rejuvenation Golden Pills’ were one of the seven treasures of the martial fraternity. Legends said that three hundred years ago, the Sage King, the top exponent of the entire fraternity only made eight such ‘Great Rejuvenation Golden Pills’ towards the end of his life. That was because these eight golden pills required him to sacrifice his entire vital energy into making it!

The whereabouts of the ‘Great Rejuvenate Golden Pills’ remained a beautiful legend.

How did Ji Lingfeng know about it?

That was because when she was only seven year old, she suffered from an illness that almost took her life. Her brother, who was twenty years her senior scouted the entire fraternity for the ‘Great Rejuvenate Golden Pill’ to save her. The difficulties and sacrifices that he had to pay to obtain it were never mentioned to her but she knew. How could she not know? Her brother had undergone a huge change after that.

That was why she could not abandon her brother even if the entire orthodox martial fraternity decided to battle against him.

When Xiao Youxue popped the last of the ‘Great Rejuvenation Golden Pill’ to Yi Ping, her eyes had immediately turned watery. It was not because she could not bear to give it to him but it reminded her of her mother’s death.

When her mother had failed to merge the Icy Heavenly Tears Intricate Energy together with the Virtuous Divine Force Intricate Energy and was dying, her father Xiao Shuai refused to give her the ‘Great Rejuvenation Golden Pills’ as a remedy.

He simply said in a cold and calculating manner to everyone in the Virtuous Palace, “This is just a gambit. Whether the ‘Great Rejuvenation Golden Pill’ will save her or not is not known and we be wasting a precious golden pill. You have no idea how hard it is for me to obtain these ‘Great Rejuvenation Golden Pills’. I have already told her of the risks of practicing the Virtuous Divine Force too early but she simply refused to listen.”

At that time, Xiao Youxue was only thirteen and she was heart-broken by her father cold calculating attitude.

She could never understand how her father would be so heartless.

Xiao Shuai had obtained it in an underground palace ruins and had almost lost his life for it. When he had formed the secret celestial group, no one else seemed to know how valuable these golden pills were.

He would need as many of those golden pills when he started to practice the Virtuous Divine Force very soon. The Virtuous Divine Force was the most epitome secret martial skill of the Virtuous Palace. In order to practice it, the practitioner’s internal strength would need to be as pure and as strong as possible. If the practitioner have less than sixty years of martial power, it was dangerous to even begin it.

That was why the secret skills of the Virtuous Palace focused on secret techniques rather than martial power. It was because they simply could not afford to sustain any injuries as internal injuries would affect their future martial progression by many more years!

The protégés of the Virtuous Palace would seek to end a fight as soon as possible with the least effort and lured their opponents into a false state of security, so that they would strike with complete surprise.

Their Flying Sword Technique was just a decoy for them to approach their opponents and lure them into a false sense of security. Thereafter, they would kill their opponents with the Penetrating Hands, their Flying Scabbard Technique or with their invisible sword!

This invisible sword was actually a foldable blade that all protégés of the Virtuous Palace had around their waist and disguised as a belt!

If their opponents had completely thought that they were weaponless after they had hurled their swords, then they would be making a huge and fatal mistake!

Even though she was his daughter but he had never imparted to her the Flying Sword Techniques. Instead he had imparted to her only the Penetrating Hands.

The Flying Sword Technique was one of the first martial skills that all protégés of the Virtuous Palace should start with. She had never understood why her very own father had forbid her and even forbid others to teach her this secret technique.

She had two older step-brothers who are more than twenty years older than her, Xiao Da the eldest and Xiao Yao who was very distant from her. She supposed to have another older half-sister that she had never seen but who had married off before she was born.

On the other hand, she was very close to Ding Yunzi who was like a close sister to her and Xiao Fei who was her cousin.

Before her mother had passed away, she had secretly instructed her, “Be careful of Ding Yunzi. I always feel that she has an ulterior motive. This is the Golden Impervious Body Divine Skill that I have secretly copied from the martial vault of the Virtuous Palace. You are to practice it as a preventive measure against Yunzi. You mustn’t let others know you are in possession of this skill so that they will not be on their guard against it.”

Xiao Youxue said, “I have heard from father that if we do not reach the advance stage of the Virtuous Divine Force, it is futile to even practice the Golden Impervious Body Divine Skill.”

Her mother nodded, “It is true. That is why you have to steal the golden pills from him. That may accelerate your internal strength for you to begin practicing the Icy Heavenly Tears Skill first. Whether you have the martial willpower and the acumen to comprehend the Golden Impervious Body Divine Skill, it is up to providence…Don’t forget to get even against the Eternal Ice Palace…”

Xiao Youxue was afraid, “The Icy Heavenly Tears Skill that we got is incomplete and is only for the first five stages…mother I have no confidence at all…”

Her mother said, “You got to use your wits. The Icy Heavenly Tears Skill at its highest level has a fatal weakness and Shui Yixian will lose her martial power once every thirty-six years. That will be the best time to you to settle our family scores with her.”

Her mother smiled bitterly at her on her dying breath. Even though she had never seen Shui Yixian before and had only heard of her name from her mother, her hatred for her was absolute! It was because whenever her husband was drunk, he would mutter her name!

She had a strong suspicious that the ‘Yixian and Xian’Er that her husband Xiao Shuai was calling out for was in fact Shui Yixian. When she had questioned him about her, he refused to say anything. Therefore she had also deliberately withhold her suspicious to herself and refused to give Xiao Shuai a glimmer of hope.

That was why she wanted this Shui Yixian to disappear from the face of the earth as well. This Shui Yixian had caused her mother Shui Yisi to be driven out of the Eternal Ice Palace in disgrace and now she had also taken her husband’s heart from her.

When the opportunity had arisen three years ago, Xiao Youxue had secretly stolen Xiao Shuai’s golden pills when he was in a martial retreat; he was in the crucial stage of reaching the advance level of the Virtuous Divine Force. Without the golden pills, he had to wait another twenty years for the breakthrough.

She had simply walked into his secret chamber while he was in deep mediation and stolen the golden pills right in front of him!

In order to do that, every night for three years, she trained her lightness skill until she could walk in absolute quietness and in time to come, that became her feat!

She had never forgiven her father for indirectly causing her mother’s death therefore she had pretended to be docile and stolen all his ‘Great Rejuvenation Golden Pills’, leaving none for him in his crucial martial level stage.

When he had found out about the theft of his golden pills, he had flown into a maddening rage and had ordered all the protégés of the Virtuous Palace to find her.

She had consumed two of the three golden pills in the past three years. The first time was immediately after she had stolen the golden pill to increase her martial strength and the second time when she was in the final stage of the Golden Impervious Body Divine Skill.

It had been three years since she had left the Virtuous Palace.

During the first year, she was lucky to meet Xiao Fei, her cousin who warned her to be extra careful for her father had mobilized all the clan elders, including her half-brothers to hunt her down.

After that, she was always moving from place to place as she devised a stratagem against Shui Yixian at the same time. She was the one that spread rumor of her death and of the fabulous martial treasures of the Eternal Ice Palace to entice the greedy pugilists.

Why was that when she had killed Shui Yixian, she had not felt happy at all but filled with sorrowful regrets?


Ch18 End
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Chapter 20: The Thousand Year Ice Cavern



Just when Yi Ping was lamenting silently to himself as he clutched his excruciating chest as Ji Lingfeng vanished from his sight, he turned pale immediately!

It was because he had suddenly discovered that the goat skin that contained the Asper Invocations Intricate Recite Manual and the Divine Revelation Skill was missing!

The secret skill had been given to him by his father and was secretly embalmed in a goat skin.

Did he drop it?

Or did Ji Lingfeng steal it from him? She was the only one that knew that the secrets in the goat skin.

Or was it Xiao Youxue?

He turned and looked intently at Xiao Youxue who was standing in a regal manner.

He could tell that Xiao Youxue was a haughty lady and there was a forbidden aura around here but yet there was something else about her that he could not pinpoint yet.

The more he looked at her, he was sure she was not an old lady.

But she could not possibly be the one that stolen his family secret skills because she had just saved his life…

Could it be Ji Lingfeng then? Maybe it was her after all. Maybe she wanted him to go after her…

But he shook his head and said, “No matter if it is Maiden Ji or Xiao Youxue, they are both my saviors. If they really want my family secret skills, so be it. A hero should repay his benefactors with something that is dear to him.”

Just when he was about to ask Xiao Youxue by asking her to run in an opposite direction from him, he heard a shout and there seemed to be a group of people that were moving rapidly in their direction.

Panicking, he grabbed Xiao Youxue as they began to move rapidly away from where they were.

Xiao Youxue gasped softly when Yi Ping had suddenly grabbed her hand. She too, had noticed that there were pursuers but was at a loss what to do as she was not supposed to hear anything.

Xiao Youxue wanted to gasp out immediately, “Let go of my hand…” But in the end, she did not say a word and instead, she was blushing as she thought. “He is holding my hand now…”

When Yi Ping had touched her hand, he got the electrifying feeling again as he thought in alarm, “Her hand is so silky and smooth?”

He almost lost his grip on her hand due to her silky hand so he gripped her hand even tighter…

He had no idea why his heart had been beating so fast.

At this time, Yi Ping and Xiao Youxue did not know that besides being pursued by the majority of the orthodox fraternity and the Honor Manor, Xiao Shuai and Shui Yixian were also looking for them at the same time.

It seemed that in this vast fraternity, there were no places for them to hide and seek refuge.

They traveled through the forest in a seeming random direction. Yi Ping had no idea where he was taking Xiao Youxue. He felt sorry for her that she was being forced to be on the run with him. Many times, he stopped to check if she was good as he was worried if she could follow his pace and fearful that she might be too tired.

But the truth was, Yi Ping was also seriously injured and he was slow while Xiao Youxue had intentional kept a slower pace than him so that he would not feel hurried.

Xiao Youxue looked keenly at his back and could not believe that she would one day walk side by side with him…

All of a sudden, Yi Ping spotted a cave along the side of a cliff. That might be a good resting and hidden place. The cave was still far and was concealed by trees but Yi Ping could see it clearly.

So he paused and wrote on the ground quickly with a stick, “Senior, there is a well concealed cave in the direction of that cliff. I think that may be a good place to seek shelter and from our pursuers.”

Xiao Youxue paused in her tracks and looked at the direction that Yi Ping was pointing. Even though her translucent veil covered her eyes but she could see through it keenly. But no matter how focus she was, she could not see the concealed cave.

She thought, “His eyesight is that good?”

After Yi Ping had regained conscious, he was suddenly endowed with superior sight, hearing and perception. At first he was startled by it but he was slowly adapting to it.

Xiao Youxue nodded slowly to indicate that she was willing to follow him in that direction.

Yi Ping said to her even though she could not hear him, “Good. I am worried that we may need to do some climbing and you may not have the strength.”

Yi Ping began to sweep the words that he had written on the ground quickly with a tree branches and they took off immediately.

They soon reached the cave. When they first entered the cave, Yi Ping and Xiao Youxue was startled by it. It was because the inside of the cave was freezing cold and even had ice in it while the cave outside was warm! It was not yet winter and yet this cave was like an entrance to an ice world!

Yi Ping said, “Alas! Is this the legendary ‘Thousand Year Ice Cavern’ that never melts even in summer?”

He was now bewildered and unsure if they should enter this cave. It was too cold and that they did not have any winter clothes.

Just as he was hesitating, Xiao Youxue walked into the cave!

Yi Ping called out after her, “Lady Xiao, wait! This cave may be dangerous!”

Then he thought, “She can’t hear me. I am so silly!” But still when he ran after her, he was still calling out and waving his hands, “Lady Xiao, wait!”

Even though Xiao Youxue was walking, it took some time for him to catch up with her. He was astonished at her pace. They were now in a huge ice cavern and there was even a stream in the cave. And in the waters, there were even snow white fishes!

Yi Ping was startled at the sight of this huge ice cavern...

Xiao Youxue was astonished too. Even though she had circulated her vital energy to protect herself from the cold, she could still feel the cold. Had she lost too much of her vital strength when she treated Yi Ping or was this cave supernaturally cold?

All of a sudden, a monstrous snow white fish that was at least a hundred times bigger than the other fishes jumped out of the waters and attacked Yi Ping!

Its jaws were so big that it could snap his head.

Even though the fish was startling fast, Yi Ping and Xiao Youxue was even quicker. They reacted with a supernatural speed as both of them struck the forehead of the fish!

The monstrous fish was knocked sideway and crashed onto the floor of the cavern.

Yi Ping was surprised that the Lady Xiao was able to react so fast. If she was not there, the monstrous fish might not be knocked sideway with his strength alone!

He thought, “She has saved my life again. Why am I so unlucky that even a fish thought of bullying me? I almost become the first man to be killed by a fish in this unlikely manner.”

They took a look at the monstrous fish that was still flipping on the ground. It was still alive. It seemed that they had afflicted little damage to it.

All of a sudden, Lady Xiao took out the long sword that Yi Ping had given her and slashed the fish on its body!

There was a binding flash of light as the sword hacked across the body of the monstrous fish! But to the surprise of Yi Ping, the sword failed to cut the armor scales of the fish!

Once again, the Lady Xiao hacked at the fish again but this time at its tail.

Yi Ping was already saying, “Wait!” But it was already too late.

This time, she had succeeded in cutting off the tail of the fish!

Yi Ping sighed and said, “We should have release the fish back into the waters. Even though it had tried to harm me but it did not succeed.” But he knew that Lady Xiao could not possible hear him. Moreover with her internal strength foundation, she might be much older than him and it was only proper for him to address her as senior and abide by her wishes.

The Lady Xiao cut the monstrous fish expertly with the White Emerald Phoenix sword and skinned the monstrous fish from the inside. Then she took the giant fish scales and put it into a bundle.

Yi Ping was surprised that Lady Xiao was also highly accomplished in swordplay. He had never seen her type of swordplay before. It was swift, precise and beautiful to behold.

He thought, “But why is it when I hold her hand, her hand is so smooth like Yixian and Lingfeng? It is as though she has never been trained with an external weapon…”

When she was done, she wrote onto the ground with the White Emerald Phoenix Sword, “This fish is a thousand year old ice fish. If we eat it, we can resist the cold here and even receive a boast to our internal strength.”

When Yi Ping saw that, he immediately knew what he should do. He wrote, “I will go out and collect the firewood.”

It was not long that he was back and they were roasting the monstrous fish over the fire that they had made. Lady Xiao had made another fire to boil some water from the stream. She took out a bowl that she had taken out from her bundle and put it onto the fire.

Yi Ping was surprised that this monstrous fish had no fish stink and instead, it gave off a sweet aroma scent. He examined its abdomen and saw that it was virtually empty. This type of fish must have required little food in order to survive.

It was not too long when the fish was fully roasted. No sooner did Yi Ping have started eating the fish that he started to feel the warmth creeping in. In no time, the cold was fully dispelled and he was comfortable.

When they had eaten, Lady Xiao began to pound the bones of the fish and threw it into the boiling water that she had made. After some time, she wrote. “The essence of the fish lies in its bone. Take the soup.”

Yi Ping did as he was instructed and drunk from her bowl. As soon as he drunk from the soup, he could feel a surge of renew strength in his body and a surge of vital energy bursting forth. He quickly took a deep breath with the ‘Divine Revelation’ skill and closed his eyes. Even though he had not said it, he was immensely grateful to her but did not know how to express it.

Xiao Youxue looked at him keenly and thought, “This thousand year old ice fish is a rare catch that the exponents of the martial fraternity can only dream of but is unobtainable except by sheer luck. Miraculous herbs and pills that boast a person vital strength were so rare that its whereabouts can often move the entire martial fraternity to fight over it. Take the ‘Great Rejuvenate Golden Pills’ and the ‘Divine Dragon Pill’ for example, imagine the bloodshed that change hands over it.”

She asked herself, “Is it too simply a pure coincident? Consuming one miraculous pill is a rare occurrence already. Finding another is simply unheard of. And now, we are feasting upon another. Is he really so lucky?”

She continued to pound the rest of the fish bones into the bowl. After she had finished boiling the soup, she took a sniff before she took consume it. Afterwards, she took a vital breath and began to meditate. Indeed, she could feel her strength recovering slowly.

She could feel her Icy Heavenly Intricate Tears strengthening immediately as her vital energies became more refine than previously! Because the Icy heavenly Intricate Tears was a cold and negative energy skill, this fish was also of the same element and so it was like a powerful tonic! This thousand year old ice fish had saved her probably decades of hard work and wrong turns…

After some time, when she opened her eyes, she saw that Yi Ping was already standing at the corner of the cavern.

When Yi Ping saw the Lady Xiao walking towards him, he began to exclaim, “I found a secret passage! It is really unexpected that this cave has a secret passage and it is man-made!”

Yi Ping sighed. He kept forgetting that the Lady Xiao could not hear him.

All of a sudden, Xiao Youxue cried out panicky…

Yi Ping was stunned. Was she not supposed to be a mute person?

Yi Ping looked at her and she was cowered to a corner at the sight of several rats.

Yi Ping said, “You can talk?”

Xiao Youxue nodded slowly as she removed her straw veiled hat.

All of a sudden, his eyes were wide opened. That was because the old lady that he had imagined had taken off her veiled straw hat and she was in fact, a ravishing young beauty. Her eyes were very beautiful but had a woeful expression.

What really stunned him was that she seemed even younger than him…

Yi Ping stammered, “Senior…Youxue, why did you pretend to be mute and deaf?”

She replied softly, “No reason…”

Yi Ping was puzzled, “No reason?”

Xiao Youxue averted her eyes, “There must be many maidens that like you. I don’t want to be one of them.”

Even though this was a lame reason but was also a reasonable one.

Yi Ping could only nod as he said, “If Lingfeng knows you are not an old lady and can even hear, I wonder what she will say.”

Xiao Youxue shifted her captivating eyes and said, “You seem to care a lot for her and even mind what she will say.”

Yi Ping was speechless. He said, “I only treating her like a sister…”

Xiao Youxue said, “But she may not think of you as just a sister…”

Yi Ping said, “A captivating maiden like her will surely have many good suitors for her to choose. Moreover, I am just a poor and out of luck wanderer…”

Xiao Youxue asked, “Did you ask her?”

Yi Ping said, “I don’t have to ask her to know. She has told me she dislike me on many occasions. Moreover, she is like a sister to me.”

Yi Ping had only said that because he was shy but when he named Ji Lingfeng as his sister, his heart was aching…

Xiao Youxue said, “How do you not know she did not mean the opposite what she is saying? Or else why did a lofty maiden like her talks so much to someone she dislikes?”

Yi Ping said, “We are friends…”

Xiao Youxue said, “So now you are calling her your friend instead of sister. How heartless. You are nothing but a flirt.”

Yi Ping stammered, “I…I…” He was confused himself.

All of a sudden, Xiao Youxue turned eerily cold and said, “What if I ask you not to see her again?”

She raised the White Emerald Phoenix Sword in front of her as she said coolly, “Don’t forget that you have personally told me you will do anything for me. I want you to not to see her ever again.”

Yi Ping was speechless. It was true. He had promised her…a hero that went back on his words did not have honor and was to be despised!

But Yi Ping replied firmly, “Anything but that!”

Xiao Youxue said coldly, “What a hero.”

All of a sudden, Xiao Youxue smiled and her eyes softened, “Don’t you worry. I am only teasing you. I won’t ask you not to see Lingfeng. That is because we are friends…”

Yi Ping was confused as he asked, “The two of you are friends?”

Xiao Youxue smiled, “That’s right. Therefore you don’t have to worry what she will say when she ‘discovers’ that I am not a deaf and mute person. That is because she already knows.”

Yi Ping was startled as he began to rub his nose. That was because he had not expected Ji Lingfeng to lie to him about this as she was the one that told him that Xiao Youxue was a deaf and mute person.

Xiao Youxue looked at him with her mesmerizing eyes and said, “What are you thinking? Didn’t you just say that you have found a man-made secret passage? What are we waiting for?”

Yi Ping could only smiled bitterly as he said, “I am still trying to adapt to someone whom I have been addressing as a senior and now becomes my junior.”

Xiao Youxue walked past him quickly as she said alluring, “Who…is your junior! Since you have already addressed me as your senior and I have saved your life, you have to listen to me. Let us go now.”

Yi Ping was startled. He was not startled by her words but when he saw her walking away, her mannerism and back view looked like the mysterious yellow dressed maiden. Even her voice bears some resemblance.

If she was the mysterious yellow dressed maiden, why would she save him? Surely she would have recognized him and killed him…

But Yi Ping thought, “No. That is not her. I recognized her voice and her mannerism…”

Yi Ping remembered that the mysterious dressed maiden was always very cold and gave off a cold forbidding aura. He could always remember her cold stinging words…but Youxue was affectionate and gave him a comfortable feeling.

Yi Ping did not know how wrong he had been! Xiao Youxue had been suppressing her affections. When it was suddenly released, she became the most gentle, most affectionate and most captivating person. Moreover, after she had killed Shui Yixian, the torments that she had been suppressing was also lifted.

So if Yi Ping thought that he could identify the yellow dressed maiden by her cold forbidding tone and mannerism, he would never find her! But of course, he would never know as he had never seen her face before…



Ch20 End
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Chapter 22: Ambush!



Yi Ping, Xiao Youxue and Lie Qing had recuperated fully for three months before they decided to leave the Ice Cavern.

The three of them led a carefree life during those three months as they recuperated from their injuries and exertions.

Their injuries and depleted internal strength recovered at a much faster rate than they had expected. Perhaps it was due to the freshness and the unique ice fishes that they had fished from the Ice Cavern.

In just three months, Lie Qing had recovered her rosy outlook and Yi Ping was surprised that her real self would be so stunning.

While Xiao Youxue was enthralling, Lie Qing was mesmerizing.

Lie Qing asked Yi Ping, “Brother Yi Ping, who is the richest bachelor in the fraternity now?”

Yi Ping replied, “That honor belongs to Nangong Le, one of the four young masters of the martial fraternity.”

Lie Qing asked, “Who is the best young swordsman of the fraternity now?”

Yi Ping said, “Zuo Tianyi. He is barely thirty and his swordsmanship exceeded many who are twice his age. He is also one of the four young masters of the martial fraternity.”

Lie Qing could not resist a smile, “Then who do you think is the better man? Zuo Tianyi or Nangong Le?”

Yi Ping smiled weakly. He really did not know what to answer.

When Lie Qing saw that Yi Ping did not answer her, she asked Xiao Youxue. “Sister Youxue, who do you think is the better guy?”

Xiao Youxue smiled faintly, “It really depends if you like a hero or a rich man.”

Lie Qing turned to Yi Ping and asked him, “Is there any hero that is also a rich man?”

Yi Ping managed a weak smile, “I do not know…”

Lie Qing asked again, “What about you? Are you famous in the fraternity?”

Yi Ping said, “I am neither a rich man nor a hero in the fraternity. I am just a poor nameless wanderer…”

Lie Qing laughed softly, “That’s what you always say. Who knows if that is the truth?”

She looked at Xiao Youxue and asked, “Good sister, what do you say?”

Xiao Youxue smiled, “He is poor but not entirely nameless. He is one of the most hunted men in the entire fraternity now.”

Lie Qing expressed surprise, “My heavens! Good sister, you have never told me!”

She began to look at Yi Ping from top to bottom as she exclaimed with horror, “Is he a lecherous bandit or a malicious villain?”

Xiao Youxue laughed softly, “He is just a notorious fool who dare to offend the majority of the orthodox fraternity.”

Lie Qing began to sigh, “Then I better keep away from him or else I would never find a good husband at any time soon.”

Xiao Youxue asked, “Why are you so eager to find a husband?”

Lie Qing smiled bitterly, “That is because I am not young anymore.”

Xiao Youxue asked, “How old are you now?”

Lie Qing looked at Yi Ping and then looked at Xiao Youxue before replying, “This is my secret. I don’t want to share with any one of you!”

Xiao Youxue teased, “Not even to your future husband?”

Lie Qing laughed softly, “Naturally not even to my future husband. It is better he does not know either.”

Yi Ping rubbed his nose, “I wonder how old Maiden Xiao is?”

Xiao Youxue smiled enthralling as she said, “I don’t want to reveal either.”

Yi Ping sighed deeply.

Xiao Youxue asked him, “Why are you sighing? Why are you so eager to know our age?”

Yi Ping sighed even deeper, “I just don’t understand how you develop your internal strength at such a young age. This is really so unbelievable.”

Lie Qing laughed, “Good sister, I have lost all my internal strength. Can you spare me some of your internal strength?”

Xiao Youxue suddenly was tight-lipped and had a moment of irk with Lie Qing. It was because the art of stealing and borrowing one’s internal strength was an evil skill in the martial fraternity. It was an action that even the majority of the unorthodox clans condemned except for the vile heretic sects.

Even though Xiao Youxue had been very careful about revealing her true internal strength to Yi Ping, at times she would forget and accidentally displayed it.

Take for example during the first month they were in the forest when all of a sudden, they were attacked by a large wild boar that suddenly charged at them.

If it were not for her sudden reflex and a sudden kick from her that sent the wild boar flying, Yi Ping and Lie Qing would have broken their legs by the charge of the wild boar!

Yi Ping was astonished that her kick was powerful enough to kick a charging wild boar away that even a highly skilled exponent could scarcely be able to accomplish without breaking their legs first.

Yi Ping asked, “Is that your martial strength or are you using a martial technique?”

She simply ignored him and walked away, leaving Yi Ping mystified and intrigued by her as he sighed, “To think I am almost killed by a pig…”

Even Lie Qing was astonished, “I didn’t expect good sister to be so strong despite her gentle outlook.”

And now, they had left the Ice Cavern.

Lie Qing asked, “Where are we going?”

Yi Ping said coolly, “I have a few important things that I am going to do first. We should part ways. I so glad that you have almost recovered. The fraternity is dangerous for a maiden. I will escort you to the nearest town or city if you prefer, then we will part ways.”

Xiao Youxue secretly stole a glance at Yi Ping. Was it time to part for them? These three months were the happiest day of her life as she got to know Yi Ping better.

Lie Qing asked curiously, “What important things that you have to do?”

Yi Ping was silent for a while as he appeared to be in a daze before he said, “I have to find that Ding Yunzi. Even if she is not the one that killed my wife; surely she knows who the killer identity is.”

He paused for a while before saying, “Also, Maiden Ji have stolen my secret manuals. No matter what, I have to find her to get it back.” Actually he was more worried if the Honor Manor had already acted against the Holy Hex Sect than retrieving his secret manuals from her but he did not say anything about it.

Lie Qing asked, “Who is Maiden Ji?”

Yi Ping managed a weak smile, “She is an extremely kind hearted maiden that is on the wrong side of the fraternity…”

Xiao Youxue interrupted, “Stealing a secret manual is considered a more heinous crime than killing your wife. In this fraternity, whose hands aren’t tainted with blood? You are more eager to avenge a stranger than avenge the theft of your secret manuals?”

Yi Ping said, “Maiden Ji is a friend…”

Xiao Youxue waved her hand and looked away, “So you are willing to forgive your friends for any heinous crimes that they would commit against you?”

Yi Ping smiled weakly, “That really depends. Some heinous crimes cannot be forgiven. Some can be.”

Xiao Youxue asked, “How did you know that your wife killer did not have a justified reason to kill her then?”

Yi Ping did not know what to answer as he looked at her enthralling eyes. For some weird reasons, from her eyes, he seemed to know her for a long time ago.

Lie Qing could sense the cold forbidden aura that was radiating from Xiao Youxue now. She was a little afraid of Xiao Youxue now as she thought, “Lucky I am not interested in Yi Ping or else I would be dead.”

Even though she had recovered her some of her internal strength and was confident of her own martial techniques, she was also an experienced exponent in the martial fraternity. She knew that Xiao Youxue may have appeared at ease but her guard was never down. And moreover, she also knew that Xiao Youxue martial levels were actually higher than she was willing to display. It was as though she was deliberating suppressing her true martial skills. Even with her experience, she could not tell which sect or clan that Xiao Youxue was from.

Therefore she tried to be friendly towards her and even calling her ‘Good Sister’ all the time. But no matter what she did in these three months, Xiao Youxue always maintained a cool distance from her.

Yi Ping and Xiao Youxue were the weirdest persons that she had ever met. They did not ask her about her martial background, where she got her ‘Perpetual Darkness’ precious sword or question her further.

She thought, “Are they trying to put me off my guard so that they can get my martial secrets?”

And the weirdest thing was Yi Ping and Xiao Youxue did not appear to be real friends either even though they were traveling together. There were even certain days that Yi Ping and Xiao Youxue did not even attempt to talk to one another. Instead they spent much of their time mediating and exercising their internal energy.

And this Yi Ping was really a true gentleman, handsome and there was a strong magnetism to him…

Therefore, she was even more confused. “Surely there must be many maidens that have already fallen for him. Why is he in this desolate place? Is he really hunted by the majority of the fraternity?”

She sighed in her heart, “I have never fallen for a man, distrusting them. But now, I really do not know…” She had encountered many pretentious men. Just because they had given her some advantages, they thought that they could get back some advantages too.

Until today, she could not believe that Yi Ping could actually give her the ‘Divine Dragon Pill’ to save her life. She was now in a dilemma because she had actually lied to him about the ‘Divine Calamity’.

“If he knows I lie to him, won’t he get a very bad impression of me?” She could not believe that she had actually cared about his opinion of her!

What astonished her most was that Yi Ping actually had more than sixty-years of martial power at his young age!

She had watched him practicing his martial skills and had gauged the depth of his martial power. And his martial power was the type that was very pure and unhindered!

She had almost fainted because of this. It was because attainting sixty years of martial power was almost an impossible feat for the majority of the exponents. Most top fighters in the fraternity, including the old and experienced exponents barely even had twenty years of martial foundation. And if Yi Ping had taken the Divine Dragon Pill, he would have become a superior super exponent instantly! That was because sixty years were the limits and anything above that was almost an impossible feat with too many hindrances. The few exponents that had sixty years of martial power were all super exponents.

Even though the differences between a superior super exponent and a super exponent was not great, any significant breakthrough was important for them to grasp the various superior intricacy skills that would actually prove decisive in a fight.

Of course, Lie Qing did not know that Yi Ping had actually consumed the Golden Rejuvenation Pill , eaten the Thousand Year Old Ice Fish and had also cleared his death and life meridians channels by a freak fighting incident.

It was hard for her not to resist falling for such a promising young man…

Because of the Divine Dragon Pill, her life was actually saved and her internal strength even had a hope for recovery. And Yi Ping had never asked for anything in return and now he wanted to part ways with her…

Xiao Youxue looked coldly at Yi Ping and interrupted Lie Qing’s thoughts with a sharp remark, “I will really like to see you avenge the maiden that killed your wife with your cold-blooded hands.”

Yi Ping was startled as he sighed, “Alas. It is my own personal affair. I am so sorry. Maybe I have said the wrong words and offend you. I know you are kind and don’t wish to see unnecessary bloodshed…”

Xiao Youxue interrupted coldly, “You don’t have to be sorry. I am not kind at all. I want to see how you are going to kill someone so cold-heartedly with your own hands.”

Yi Ping said, “This doesn’t concern you…”

Xiao Youxue raised her white emerald precious sword as she said, “It does now. You have said that you will return me a favor for saving your life. This is what I request from you now. Bring me along so that I can witness your cold-heartlessness.”

Yi Ping said, “Youxue, why are you forcing me….”

Xiao Youxue said coolly, “So you are a liar?”

Yi Ping sighed heavily as he said, “My enemy is a very strong foe. I may not be her match. Even today, I am terrified of her martial skills and power. I will put you to danger…”

Xiao Youxue said, “This, you don’t have to worry about me. I know how to take care of myself.”

Yi Ping walked away as he said, “Up to you. I have nothing more to say anymore.”

Lie Qing called out after Yi Ping, “Yi Ping, what about me?”

Yi Ping was startled as he asked, “What about you?”

Lie Qing smiled mysterious at Xiao Youxue as she said, “I would like to see how you are going to avenge for your wife too!”

Yi Ping was stunned, “You too? Do you think of me as a cold-hearted person too?”

Lie Qing smiled as she said, “I am not! Don’t forget that my life is saved by Youxue and you. I should help till the very end too.”

Yi Ping heaved a sigh of relief as he said, “Silly girl. I have no idea how long this is going to take. If I take twenty-years, don’t tell me you are going to follow me for twenty years?”

Lie Qing laughed softly, “Not to mention twenty-years, forty-years I am willing to wait too!”

Xiao Youxue interrupted coldly, “Even if it takes you sixty-years, I will want to see your cold-heartlessness at that moment.”

Yi Ping was stunned as he said, “All of you….”

All of a sudden, a piercing quiet demurely voice interrupted Yi Ping. “Maybe you don’t have to wait for sixty years.”

Everyone was startled. With their martial levels, who could have walked so quietly without their detection?

They quickly turned in the direction of the intruder and saw a simply dressed demurely dressed maiden who was standing not far away. It was Ding Yunzi!

Ding Yunzi was smiling, “Youxue, have your martial progression actually deteriorated or I have improved? Let me analyze for you, maybe you have spent too much of your time running from us than practicing your martial skills?”

Lie Qing said coolly, “You are here all along by a chance occurrence. You can turn back and try to sneak at us again.”

Ding Yunzi looked at Lie Qing carefully. This innocent looking young maiden was actually extremely sharp and quick witted. For her to react and recover her wits so quickly, she must not be an ordinary exponent either. And she got these weird red eyes…

Xiao Youxue was startled when she had appeared as she quickly thought, “How did she find us?”

Yi Ping turned to look at Xiao Youxue as he asked, “Youxue, you know her?”

But Xiao Youxue did not reply to his question and instead threw the white emerald phoenix precious sword to him as she said hurriedly, “Yi Ping and Lie Qing, be very careful. She is an extremely dangerous exponent! Even if the three of us were to fight her at the same time, we may not be able to defeat her!”

Yi Ping nodded as he had personally witnessed her sword skills. He quickly said to Lie Qing, “Qing’Er, you should step back. She is a very frightening opponent!”

When Lie Qing looked at Xiao Youxue and Yi Ping dreadful expressions, she immediately knew that they were not joking with her. And she raised her sword with a defensive stance.

Lie Qing looked at Ding Yunzi carefully. From all appearances, she did not seem to be a threat and there were three of them…

Ding Yunzi raised her thin eyebrows slightly elegantly as she said quietly, “I am so flattered to hear that.”

Xiao Youxue said coldly, “How did you find me?”

Ding Yunzi said coolly, “We have seen you entering the Honor Manor but you are not there. It is obvious that you have lured us there for an unknown purpose. Therefore I have concluded that you must still be in the vicinity. I have almost given up on waiting, you know.”

Yi Ping interrupted, “Good. I am about to look for you. This saves me sixty years of futile searching.”

Ding Yunzi smiled demurely and sighed, “I didn’t know you have fallen in love with me and is looking for me.”

Yi Ping was caught off-guarded by what she had just said and he stammered, “I…we….I…”

Xiao Youxue warned Yi Ping, “Yi Ping, don’t fall into her tricks and her stratagems.”

Ding Yunzi could not resist a smile as she asked, “Why are you so eager in looking for me? Actually I should be the one that is looking for you.”

Yi Ping asked, “What do you mean?”

While Ding Yunzi was talking to them, she was in fact observing their standing positions and analyzing every slight movement of theirs. How they were going to attack, what were the distances between them and how they could possible react, she had secretly calculated; her winning odds of taking them at the same time was fifty percent. Of the three, Xiao Youxue was the most dangerous.

But of course, the victory was already theirs. It was because her second eldest Protégé Brother Xiao Yuanjia was also here!

Yi Ping asked, “Why are you looking for me?”

Ding Yunzi was looking intently at the white emerald precious sword that Yi Ping was holding as she asked, “Is this precious sword from the Eternal Ice Palace?”

Yi Ping hummed coldly, “That’s right!”

Ding Yunzi said, “That is the reason why you must die.”

Yi Ping was stunned, “I must die just because of this one sword?”

Ding Yunzi replied quietly, “That is right.”

Yi Ping said, “So this is the so call martial justice of the Virtuous Palace!”

At the mention of the Virtuous Palace, Lie Qing shuddered slightly.

Ding Yunzi said, “That is because I have orders from my protégé master Xiao Shuai to exterminate all male protégés of the Eternal Ice Palace and every male that are associated with the Eternal Ice Palace. It is nothing personal.”

Xiao Youxue was secretly fuming too. It was because her mother had pleaded with Xiao Shuai to abolish the Eternal Ice Palace and he had refused in the past. And now, he was attacking the Eternal Ice Palace on his own accord.

Yi Ping was enraged as he shouted angrily, “The Virtuous Palace is so reckless with lives.” He immediately drew out the white emerald precious sword as he charged towards Ding Yunzi.

Ding Yunzi was surprised that Yi Ping was so easily baited and she took noted of his quick impulsive temper. But she quickly sighed, “After today, he would be dead. What is the point of noting his character?”

All of a sudden, Yi Ping was besides her as he attacked her with the Horizon Swordplay!

Ding Yunzi was stunned at how swift his swordplay was, as mirror images of his sword blades came flashing to and fro in quick successive waves!

But she was not slow to react; she had drawn out her beautiful adored long sword and had swirled around, parrying and blocking Yi Ping’s attacks with both her scabbard and long sword at the same time!

As she turned around and wielded ambidextrously, all of a sudden she gave a silent kick and it exploded with a tremendous impact on Yi Ping as he flew backward!

Xiao Youxue and Lie Qing were stunned as they flew towards Yi Ping in an instant!

Less than five seconds after Yi Ping had attacked Ding Yunzi, the fight had ended so quickly when he was caught by surprise by her ‘Penetrating Kick’ skill!

Yi Ping was stunned that she could distribute her martial power so evenly in both her hands and legs as he fell onto the ground!

When Ding Yunzi saw Xiao Youxue and Lie Qing speeding towards her, she threw her charged scabbard towards Lie Qing! It was because she knew that her projectile attacks would never work against Xiao Youxue, so she decided to eliminate the weaker first!

Xiao Youxue immediately shouted, “Lie Qing, be careful!”

But it was too late as the scabbard flew like lightning past her and there was a tremendous impact!

Ding Yunzi attacking speed was too fast and so silence that few opponents in the fraternity could match her martial skills! But to her surprise, the innocent looking young maiden had suddenly tripped onto the ground as her scabbard missed her narrowly!

Ding Yunzi could not believe the innocent looking maiden extraordinary luck. But before she could analyze further, Xiao Youxue had raised her hand in a downward strike against her.

She immediately retaliated with her sword as Xiao Youxue cancelled her attacks and evaded it.

Ding Yunzi smiled demurely, “Surely you are not thinking of fighting me with your bare hands? That would be to my advantage.”

Xiao Youxue hummed coldly as she swirled and evaded Ding Yunzi sword strokes as she brandished the hidden foldable sword around her waist!

Ding Yunzi did the same too with her long sword in her right hand and unfolded the hidden foldable sword from around her waist to her left hand!

Xiao Youxue and Ding Yunzi began to exchange flurries of sword strokes!

Ding Yunzi exclaimed, “You seem to have improved but don’t forget that in the past when we have fought, I have won more times than you. And my ambidextrous skills have improved considerably since we have last met.”

Xiao Youxue hummed coldly, “As though I care.” All of a sudden, her foldable sword was imbued with her martial power as it exploded against Ding Yunzi harder and harder with every single impact!

Ding Yunzi was startled as she exclaimed, “You can actually transfer your Penetrating Hands into your sword techniques!?”

She could not believe at the sudden increase of Xiao Youxue martial power as she took a few steps backward!

Just as Xiao Youxue was about to follow up with more successive attacks, the whirling sound of a flying sword exploded into mid-air and knocked her ten steps backward as she parried in time!

The flying sword rebounded and returned to the hands of a new intruder who was in his forties, Xiao Yuanjia!

Xiao Youxue said coldly, “So it is you…”

Xiao Yuanjia said coolly, “How are you, sister.”

Xiao Youxue said, “I am not good of course. It is because you have come to take my life.”

Xiao Yuanjia replied coldly, “We have our orders. You are a traitor of the Virtuous Palace. Surrender yourself and the Golden Rejuvenation Pills. Then you may have a chance to live. For the sake of our kinship, I will plead for you at least.”

“Youxue, you are from the Virtuous Palace?” It was Yi Ping. He had recovered from the sudden kick and he was besides Xiao Youxue.

But Xiao Youxue was not listening as she was looking intently at Xiao Yuanjia and Ding Yunzi. Any slight distraction and she would be dead!

Ding Yunzi looked at Yi Ping in relief and could not believe that he could actually withstand her Penetrating Kick as she thought, “He is not dead yet?” She estimated that he may have broken several rib bones and was suppressing his pain.

She thought, “You should have pretended to succumb to your injuries and not get up. You are such an idiot.”

But why was she relief that Yi Ping was not fatally injured?

Yi Ping was rubbing his chest and exclaiming to himself, “I have been careless.” The kick had momentarily stunned him; however it did no lasting damage to him.

“I’m so sorry. I have tripped. Did I miss anything?” It was Lie Qing!

She sighed, “Now I truly believe that you are being hunted, Brother Yi Ping. We should have parted even earlier. But now it is too late.”

Yi Ping smiled bitterly. He did not know what to answer.

Xiao Youxue was startled and glad that Lie Qing had somehow survived that flying scabbard. She had not turned her head around and so she did not know what had happened during that intensive moment.

Ding Yunzi re-appraised their strengths and estimated that with Xiao Yuanjia in the fight, their winning odds were still at a hundred percent.

Xiao Youxue shivered at the appearance of Xiao Yuanjia! It was because she knew how powerful he really was. While the other protégés of the Virtuous Palace excelled in surprise attacks and tactics, only Xiao Yuanjia fought with all his true martial strength. Naturally his martial progression was speedy.

If there were anyone that she did not want to see, that was him!

The flying sword that Xiao Yuanjia had thrown was actually a foldable sword. And the large scabbard that he was holding now actually contained five other such foldable swords! In the Virtuous Palace, he was also known as the Swordsman of the Thirteen Swords. But where were his other seven hidden swords?



Ch22 End
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Chapter 24: The Origin of the Virtuous Palace



Yi Ping continued another flurry of dozens of powerful attacks against Ding Yunzi, who coolly parried all his attacks with just a single left stroke or just a single right stroke.

She smiled with a cool demeanor, it was as though she was the trainer and Yi Ping was the trainee.

Even though Yi Ping was attacking her with all his martial power and strength, he was still forced to take a walk backward with every attack!

He was mystified why even though he had the superior strength and technique, Ding Yunzi could still parry off his attacks effortlessly!

Ding Yunzi had practiced the sword since she was five years old. Her precision and timing was so uncanny and steady that no matter how fast Yi Ping’s sword strokes were, she could always strike at the weakest point of his attacks and swerved his attacks to one side with just a sword stroke!

By now, Yi Ping had taken more than forty steps backward and was sweating heavily! Even though his sword arm was aching painfully and his entire body was trembling, he persisted with the Absolute Spirits Intricacy Recite and forced himself to focus on finding a breakthrough!

As long as he did not give up, he believed that he would have a chance to overcome her. It was because he believed that evil cannot triumph over good!

Just when his vision had begun to blur and the last of his strength had faltered, a most unlikely thing happened and stunned him!

Ding Yunzi had suddenly tripped over with a soft shriek as she fell on the ground. She had sprained her left ankle as she took a gentle step forward!

Yi Ping quickly halted his attacks in time when he saw her tripping! He refused to take advantage of her in this situation.

He put down his long sword in a downward pose as he said, “I wait for you to get up first.”

Ding Yunzi could not believe that she would be so unlucky to have sprained her ankle at the most unlikely of all timing!

Her soft eyes were immediately in tears as she tried to get up awkwardly. She knew that even if she was given a chance of getting up, her combat ability was already affected and she would not be able to fight as well as before.

She supported herself by thrusting her long sword into the ground and pointing the foldable sword at Yi Ping, “You have not won yet. Even if I stay at the same spot, I can still able to kill you. Why don’t you try again?”

Yi Ping said to her, “I just want to know who the person that has killed my wife is. Is that you? Or someone else?”

Ding Yunzi asked, “Who…who’s your wife? You are married?”

Yi Ping said solemnly, “My wife is Shui Yixian…the one that have killed her knows the Penetrating Hands Skill. Who else knows this skill other than the Virtuous Palace?”

Ding Yunzi was startled, “Shui Yixian is your wife and she has passed away?”

Yi Ping nodded, “That’s right…”

Ding Yunzi asked, “When did she die?”

Yi Ping said, “Five to six months ago, judging by the seasons…maybe longer...I can’t remember, really.”

Ding Yunzi was startled. It was because she had just seen her three months ago! She said, “That’s impossible. Are you kidding?”

Yi Ping sighed, “I know that all of you refuse to believe that the Celestial Fairy is my wife but…” All of a sudden, he froze. It was because he had seen Maiden Xiao and she was covered with blood!

Xiao Youxue was wounded as she fought her brother in a headlong clash out of desperation. She really had no confident at all. But because she was worried about Yi Ping and had the Absolute Spirits Intricacy Recite to reinforce her fighting spirits, she managed to do the impossible and defeated her brother narrowly.

Of course, this was also because she had also wounded her brother earlier, had the thousand year silvery scale armor and she had also mastered the Golden Impervious Body Divine Skill!

When she saw the man that she liked was talking to Ding Yunzi, there was a great sorrow in her heart immediately and her eyes were fluffy with tears. It was because she had been so worried for him. Instead of finding him in trouble, he was actually talking to Ding Yunzi!

When Yi Ping saw Maiden Xiao, he immediately went to her side and asked gently, “Youxue, are you alright?”

Xiao Youxue was trembling in her blood soaked dress!

Yi Ping tried to give her a helping hand but Xiao Youxue stared coldly at him instead.

For a moment, he did not know what to do.

Ding Yunzi gasped, “Where is Xiao Yuanjia? Did you…?”

Xiao Youxue mustered all her strength as she said, “He has been defeated by me.”

Ding Yunzi was stunned. She had defeated Xiao Yuanjia on her own? That was impossible. Was her victory purely due to her resolute or…; she took a look at Yi Ping as she thought, “Youxue mental fortitude comes from this young man? She likes him?”

She thought again, “I know that Youxue have a feud with the Eternal Ice Palace. If this Yi Ping is looking for the person that killed his wife, it has to be Youxue. But the Celestial Fairy is still alive, so how did Youxue kills his wife? And if Youxue did not kills his wife, then why is he looking for Youxue? Maybe he did not even know that Youxue is the one that he is looking for?”

Ding Yunzi looked at Xiao Youxue as she said, “You kill him?”

Xiao Youxue looked coldly at her as she said, “I am not as heartless as you. I treat you as my good sister and you even want to kill me.”

Ding Yunzi said gently, “I have my orders and my reasons…”

Xiao Youxue hummed coldly, “So you are saying that my life is not worth your reasons?”

Ding Yunzi said equally coldly, “Do you think that in your state of condition you have even the strength to withstand my flying swords? And yet, you can still argue with me.”

Xiao Youxue had already noticed that she had sprained her ankle as she said, “You can try but don’t let me get close to you.”

Ding Yunzi said coolly as she raised her swords, “You really think too highly of yourself.”

Yi Ping said, “Since both of you know one another, why don’t all of you sit down and talk over first?”

Xiao Youxue looked at Yi Ping, “Did you just forget that she is trying to kill you?”

Ding Yunzi said, “Yi Ping, do you know who she is?”

Yi Ping asked, “Who…”

But before he could ask, he was interrupted by a soft merry laugh.

Yi Ping, Xiao Youxue and Ding Yunzi looked at the direction where Xiao Youxue had just come from and saw Lie Qing!

She was looking rosy and in high spirits. Her air was totally different from a while ago!

As Lie Qing walked towards them, she said. “What about me then? Do you mind if I join in the fun? Three versus one, what do you think of your odds of winning?”

Lie Qing blinked at Xiao Youxue who took a step backward all of a sudden!

Xiao Youxue was startled at Lie Qing’s sudden transformation in her aura. It seemed that she had suddenly recovered her internal strength. Moreover, from the looks of it, she had been eavesdropping for some time!

Even Ding Yunzi was startled at her appearances!

Xiao Youxue asked of a sudden, “What did you do with Xiao Yuanjia?”

Lie Qing was puzzled why Xiao Youxue had all of a sudden asked her this question, so she said. “Nothing…”

Xiao Youxue said coldly, “You have killed him? Don’t lie to me…”

Lie Qing was immediately guilty as she said, “He tries to kill you earlier. I am just trying to help you…”

Xiao Youxue said coldly, “But I have already defeated him and there is no reason for you to do that.”

Lie Qing said, “He may be a threat in the future. Do you think if you let him off this time, you can really win him a second time? He already knows all the tricks in your sleeves!”

Ding Yunzi began to tremble, “Xiao Yuanjia is now dead…?”

Xiao Youxue hummed coldly, “So you have finally admitted to killing him. Not only have you killed him but you have also sucked him dry of any internal energy.”

Lie Qing was stunned, “How do you know?”

Ding Yunzi interrupted coldly, “Your red eyes…”

Yi Ping was confused. What were they talking about?

The Virtuous Palace had a deadly legend that was passed down by the elders. In the past, there was a red eye fraction within the Virtuous Palace. They were the masters and they fed upon their slaves. The masters passed down an imperfect skill, the Virtuous Divine Force to their slaves. When their slaves had reached a certain attainment in the Virtuous Divine Force, they would be sacrificed to their masters; their blood and intricate energy would be drained by them.

Eventually, the slaves decided to rebel against their masters. After a hard sought victory over their former masters, the Xiao Clan emerged as the dominant clan within the Virtuous Palace.

Even though this was a legend but this story was part of their martial training and every protégés in the Virtuous Palace knew of this story.

That was why Xiao Youxue was caution of Lie Qing. When she saw her jubilant aura, she had suspected that the worst had fallen to her brother!

The Virtuous Palace, like the majority of the clans in the martial fraternity loathed exponents that practiced evil skills that drained practitioners of their intricate energies. The Virtuous Palace had strict orders to kill anyone that possessed such abilities.

However, it was a legend and over time, this rule had been forgotten. It was only when Xiao Youxue and Ding Yunzi had seen her red eyes did they remember the legends. But they did not suspect that Lie Qing actually had such ability!

Yi Ping looked Lie Qing and asked her, “Did you really practice such an evil skill? And exactly as Youxue has said?”

Lie Qing was annoyed as she pointed at Ding Yunzi with her sword, “Just who are the enemy? That is her! We should be united and fighting against a common enemy, am I not right to say so?”

All of a sudden, Ding Yunzi whirled her foldable sword and threw it as a flying sword against her while she was talking. That was because that was the moment when she had let down her guard and was distracted!

There was a thunderous clashing as the flying sword spins multiple times as it struck against Lie Qing’s black sword as she raised it to block against her attacks!

Lie Qing was stunned at the martial power of Ding Yunzi and the ferocity of her flying swords at this distance even though she had secretly observed the duel between Xiao Youxue and Xiao Yuanjia.

She quickly took more than ten steps backward as she tried to deflect the power of the spinning flying sword! But even before she got a respite, Ding Yunzi had raised her other long sword as she leapt forward!

But before she could even took a step forward, Xiao Youxue had raised her long sleeves upward, sending a scurrying of windforce that sent her backward!

Yi Ping quickly intercepted Xiao Youxue as he said hurriedly, “Youxue, she has lost her mobility…”

Xiao Youxue said, “Why are you defending her?”

Just when Ding Yunzi had just recovered her footings, Lie Qing had leapt forward and attacked her with a lightning sword arc!

Yi Ping saw the attack and he quickly raised his long sword and deflected Lie Qing’s attacks as he said, “Qing’Er, stop. This is all a misunderstanding…”

Xiao Youxue had attacked Lie Qing with her palm and had struck against Lie Qing on her shoulder as she said, “There is no misunderstanding. She is evil!”

Lie Qing was knocked painfully backward as a cracking sound could be heard from her left shoulder!

She hatefully said, “You hit me!?” If she were not protected by her Impervious Golden Body Divine Skill, Xiao Youxue would have fractured her left shoulder!

She immediately attacked Xiao Youxue with her long sword but Yi Ping immediately raised his sword to intercept her as he said, “Qing’Er, Youxue does not have any weapons on her…”

Before Yi Ping had even realized it, he was fighting Lie Qing, Xiao Youxue and Ding Yunzi at the same time, and so were they!

The fights were extremely messy. Yi Ping was trying to stop them from harming one another; the only way to stop them was to fight them and intercept their attacks but at the same time, he was also protecting them at the same time!

None of the maidens really wished to hurt Yi Ping so they stayed their hands. It was because they could tell that Yi Ping was trying to protect them too. But the more Yi Ping defended the other maidens, the more upset they were and the more ruthless their strokes were!

Yi Ping was shouting, “Stop! Stop it!”

But his pleads fell on deaf ears as they continued to fight.

He was parrying, blocking, moving to and forth. This was the most difficult fight in this life; he had never felt so hurried and frantic in his life before!

All of a sudden, Lie Qing gave a soft cry as her black sword become dozens of black blurs that spit out towards Ding Yunzi!

Ding Yunzi gave a startled cry, “What kind of swordplay is this?”

Yi Ping immediately displayed his Horizon Swordplay, the Shadow Horizon Stance and intercepted Lie Qing’s attacks!

This stance of his happened to be her swordplay nemesis.

Lie Qing was startled, “How did you know this stance?”

But as she gasped out, Xiao Youxue and Ding Yunzi attacked her at the same time!

Yi Ping turned and parry off Ding Yunzi sword thrust while he intercepted Xiao Youxue’s attacks with his left hand!

Xiao Youxue and Lie Qing suddenly blurred out, “Whose side are you on?!”

When Yi Ping heard it, he was momentarily stunned. It was because someone else used to exclaim the same phrase to him; he had remembered Ji Lingfeng all of a sudden.

In this crucial moment, he had actually allowed his mind to wander. If he was fighting others, he would never allow his concentration to lapse. But because he did not really treat Lie Qing, Xiao Youxue or even Ding Yunzi as his enemies; he was distracted when he had suddenly thought of Maiden Ji. Moreover, he was already on his verge of his limits and he could not concentrate further!

Xiao Youxue, Ding Yunzi and Lie Qing were already lenient and careful when they were fighting Yi Ping. But because Yi Ping was suddenly distracted and they had not expected him not to evade their attacks with his current martial progression, they had all slashed and struck him at the same time!

Yi Ping gave a loud cry as he was slashed and was struck by them as he fell onto the ground immediately!

The fighting maidens immediately froze in their tracks at the same time!

Xiao Youxue said melancholy to them, “Why did you two slash him for?”

Lie Qing had turned white with ashen as she spoke back and said, “You're the one that struck him the hardest…”

Ding Yunzi shook her head as she smiled bitterly, “You are all his friends..?”


Ch24 End
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Chapter 26: Memories



All of a sudden, there was a powerful malevolent aura that seemingly came from another direction.

Yi Ping, Gongsun Jing, Qiu Wufeng, Xiao Youxue, Ding Yunzi and Lie Qing looked towards that direction and saw a man with a sword walking silently towards them!

Yi Ping had recognized him to be Zuo Tianyi!

Zuo Tianyi said coldly, “Whoever tries to lay a hand on Maiden Ding, I will kill him.”

Ding Yunzi gasped, “Tianyi…”

Qiu Wufeng spit out, “So it is young master Zuo Tianyi. Are you here to take our lives too? I have great respect for the old sword saint but you are just a lackey of the Honor Manor!”

Zuo Tianyi said coldly, “I don’t care what the Honor Manor wants but since you have the intention of killing Maiden Ding, then don’t blame me.”

He looked at Yi Ping and said, “We seem to have an unfinished duel.”

Yi Ping said, “Indeed! But unfortunately I have no wish to fight you and I don’t have a sword.”

Zuo Tianyi looked at Yi Ping coldly, “You can always borrow one. With or without a sword, I will not hesitate to kill you.”

Lie Qing stole a glance at Ding Yunzi before saying to Zuo Tianyi, “I am afraid if you really want to kill Yi Ping, Maiden Ding will never forgive you.”

Zuo Tianyi asked, “What do you mean?”

Lie Qing smiled, “That is because Yi Ping is our protégé master now. If you want to kill Yi Ping, then you have to fight the three of us too.”

Zuo Tianyi was taken aback, “He is your protégé master now?” He looked at Ding Yunzi for answers. He had always thought that Ding Yunzi was from the Virtuous Palace and that Xiao Shuai was her protege master.

Ding Yunzi said coolly, “That is so.”

Qiu Wufeng immediately knew by now that these three maidens were not his enemies. So he was relieved as he said quickly to the three maidens as he bowed respectfully, “Even though my martial skills are weak, I will gladly fight on your side!”

Lie Qing looked at Qiu Wufeng as she said, “At least you have some courage and willingly to stand by Yi Ping or else I would have killed you instantly earlier.”

Qiu Wufeng smiled bitterly at this mesmerizing maiden who was rebuking him fiercely. But he immediately thought, “If I were to be killed by her, it may not be a bad feeling after all. After all, I have lost everything now…”

Gongsun Jing was stunned as he said, “You are all on the same side!?”

Zuo Tianyi stared at Gongsun Jing, “Then I have to kill only you instead.”

Gongsun Jing looked at Yi Ping and said, “Brother Yi Ping, you got to help me!”

Yi Ping rubbed his nose as he looked at everyone before he said to Gongsun Jing, “I don’t wish to help you because what you want to do is not an entire chivalrous act. Everyone knows that Gongsun Bai had been oppressing the orthodox fraternity for many years…”

Gongsun Jing shifted uneasily.

Yi Ping said, “Even though you have the nick of Gongsun Jing the Benevolent and is different from your father. But that is not what everyone thinks.”

Gongsun Jing looked down in guilt. It was true. He had known of his father lofty ambitions for a long time and had even tried to persuade him to take a more benevolent path but his father had scorned at his advice.

Yi Ping looked at Zuo Tianyi as he continued, “Moreover, I don’t want to make enemies of Zuo Tianyi. The Zuo and the Yi Clan had been acquaintances for many generations. We are not enemies in the first place and why should it turned into a feud?”

Zuo Tianyi nodded slightly. He knew that was the truth. It was because the Infinity Sword Clan had adjusted its swordplay three generations ago to counteract the Horizon Swordplay. And when they had dueled, he had found Yi Ping to be very familiar as though they had dueled before. The reason that they had fought to a standstill was that both of them knew how to counter one another’s swordplay as though they had fought before on numerous times!

That was also why Yi Ping’s father, Yi Tianxing knew the Infinity Swordplay so well that he was able to forewarn Yi Ping that the Horizon Swordplay could be broken by the Infinity-First Swordplay.

Finally Yi Ping said to Gongsun Jing as he smiled bitterly, “Your father had courted his own death and refusing to let Xiao Shuai go. It was a fair duel. Even without Maiden Ding interfering, do you think your father would able to win against Xiao Shuai?”

Gongsun Jing said solemnly, “If Maiden Ding had not interfered, the outcome would still be uncertain!”

Zuo Tianyi said coldly, “That was not what I have seen.”

Gongsun Jing asked, “What do you mean?”

Zuo Tianyi said coldly, “Even before Maiden Ding had struck your father, Xiao Shuai had already penetrated through his Invincible Divine Force!”

Gongsun Jing said, “That is impossible. There were so many eyes in that hall that day. Xiao Shuai attacks cannot possible penetrates through my father’s Invincible Divine Force!”

Yi Ping said, “That is because your eyes are not sharp enough. If Gongsun Bai could even deflect Xiao Shuai’s flying sword with his bare hands, do you think that Maiden Ding’s flying sword could even cut through his arms at all? That was because at that very instant, his Invincible Divine Force had already been breached!”

Gongsun Jing was stunned. Why he had not thought of that?

He finally said, “You guys have already thought of that?”

Xiao Youxue interrupted as she said, “They didn’t and didn’t have to. They just witnessed it. Why did you think that Gu Tianle and the rest of the protégé masters of the various major orthodox clans did not bulge at all when Gongsun Bai was killed? It was because their eyes were quick enough to see it themselves.”

She knew because she was there too but remained hidden from view! That was why she knew that Yi Ping may be courting his own death and took a gambit to lure Xiao Shuai into the Honor Manor!

She added, “The one that really killed your father is Xiao Shuai. I have heard that even Gu Tianle and Jue Yuan is hunting you. You can’t even avenge against Xiao Shuai, Gu Tianle and Jue Yuan yet you are looking to avenge against Maiden Ding? You are really courting your own death!”

Yi Ping said, “Moreover, even if the two of us added up together, do you think we can win against the sword in her hands?”

Yi Ping still shivered when he recalled the battle with her. He had only accidentally won when she had sprained her ankle at the wrong timing!

He did not dare to look into Maiden Ding’s eyes directly as he said that. It was because he very well knew that she was toying with him even though he had already used up all the strokes of the Horizon Swordplay! He was now worried that he may hurt her feelings if he was too close to her. The same went for Maiden Xiao Youxue and Maiden Lie Qing too…

Yi Ping said coolly, “You have to decide if you want to avenge against her now or want me as your sworn brother.”

Gongsun Jing looked at everyone slowly. It was the hardest decision that he had ever made in his life.

Actually when he first seen Maiden Ding, he had already been attracted by her quiet demeanor and air. When she had stormed into the Honor Manor with Xiao Shuai, he was in fact worried what would happen to her fate. What he had not expected was that Xiao Shuai actually did the impossible and killed his father. And because afterwards, he was persecuted by Gu Tianle, he was filled with a burning hatred for everyone that was involved in the demise of his clan.

When he looked at Maiden Ding’s quiet demeanor again, he really could not bring the heart to even lay a finger on her even though he still held her partly responsible.

Gongsun Jing said slowly, “I will still want to be Brother Yi Ping’s sworn brother. My real enemies are Xiao Shuai and Gu Tianle.”

Yi Ping said, “Then I’ll be able to help you. I still have a score to settle with Gu Tianle and Jue Yuan for conspiring with your father to injure my father years ago.”

Gongsun Jing said, “You won’t hold against me? My father was the one that…”

Yi Ping interrupted, “What your father did is his own business. That has nothing to do with you. Moreover, he is dead now. I hope you can forgive Maiden Ding too. Or else I won’t agree to be your sworn brother at all if I bear a grudge against you.”

Gongsun Jing was deeply touched as he looked at Yi Ping who seemed to be a giant, surrounded by a strong sense of benevolent and righteousness.

He stammered out, “I don’t blame Maiden Ding at all…”

Zuo Tianyi said, “Pity. I have come here for nothing.”

Everyone looked at Zuo Tianyi startled. They had almost forgotten that Zuo Tianyi was not on their side yet.

Lie Qing blinked at Zuo Tianyi as she said, “Great Hero, I can tell immediately that you are a master swordsman. What do you mean? Are you here on the behalf of the Honor Manor?” as she took a step forward.

Zuo Tianyi took a step backward as he smiled, “Hold it. Don’t come close to me. I have just seen how Qiao Feng and Ye Lu were killed by you.”

Lie Qing was offended as she said, “Am I so terrible to behold or too fierce for your taste, Great Hero?”

Zuo Tianyi smiled, “I am not interested in you for sure.” He took a quick glance at Ding Yunzi who looked shyly away.

Yi Ping, Qiu Wufeng and Gongsun Jing were clearly amused. It was because even a blind man could tell how mesmerizing Lie Qing was and Zuo Tianyi was telling her how unattractive she was to him!

Lie Qing replied coldly, “So what do you want?”

Zuo Tianyi laughed, “I just want to be a sworn brother to Yi Ping as well and then we find a place to drink or else it will be hard for me to go off just like that.”

Yi Ping was surprised too as he quickly said, “It is my honor too! Brother Tianyi!”

Zuo Tianyi said, “Brother Yi Ping!”

Ding Yunzi interrupted softly, “You better go. The further away, the better it is! What we are going to do next will put you in a very difficult position.”

Zuo Tianyi said, “Yunzi, why are you so cold towards me? What did I do wrong…”

It was only now that it was apparent that Zuo Tianyi and Ding Yunzi had known of one another! No wonder, when Gongsun Jing had wanted to avenge against Maiden Ding, they could sense a strong killing malevolent intent from him!

Lie Qing muttered with displeasure, “No wonder you are not interested in talking to me. So you already have a sweetheart. You are afraid that she may get jealous…”

Qiu Wufeng quickly said, “If Maiden did not mind, you can always talk to me…”

Lie Qing hummed coldly, “You should practice more on your martial skills first before talking to me.”

Qiu Wufeng immediately flushed red with embarrassment.

Ding Yunzi said, “You did nothing wrong. I just don’t want to see you.”

Zuo Tianyi said, “I know that you are from the Virtuous Palace and that Xiao Shuai may not approve of our marriage in the past. But I am now the protégé master of the Infinity Sword Clan now, surely Xiao Shuai would take that into consideration and…”

Ding Yunzi interrupted coldly, “You think too much. Just go.”

Yi Ping said to Zuo Tianyi, “We know that the Honor Manor is raising an expedition to attack the headquarters of the Holy Hex Sect. We are going there to help a friend of mine. If you join us, it is akin to making enemies of all the orthodox clans in the fraternity. I am sure Maiden Ding meant well.”

Zuo Tianyi said quickly to Ding Yunzi, “Even if I were to make enemies of the orthodox clans, I will still join you! I don’t even care if the Virtuous Palace is now the enemy of the orthodox fraternity. I will still ask for your hands in marriage. ”

Ding Yunzi said coldly, “I am no longer in the Virtuous Palace.”

Zuo Tianyi was taken aback as he asked, “You are not?”

Ding Yunzi said, “I have betrayed the Virtuous Palace and now, I am being hunted by the Virtuous Palace. In fact, we are all being hunted by the Virtuous Palace or the Honor Manor. Even if you have ten lives, you may not live to survive it. You are so foolish. The Infinity Sword Clan has painstaking took more than three centuries to establish its position in the fraternity. As your cousin, I feel ashamed that you can choose to throw away the repute of the Infinity Sword Clan just like that. How could you face your Zuo Clan ancestors?”

Zuo Tianyi stammered, “I….I…”

Xiao Youxue sighed in her heart melancholy, “Sister Yun is so tragic. Zuo Tianyi is her childhood sweetheart. Because of that incident, she now uses all other means just to reject his overturns…”

A few days ago…

They had reacted with shock as they had fell Yi Ping by mistake.

Xiao Youxue had immediately resuscitated Yi Ping and was relieved all his vital organs were unhurt. She muttered, “He just needs a rest and will recover. But his wounds may be severe…”

Then she looked at Lie Qing with displeasure as she said, “Hand over the antidote. You have applied poison on your sword. How vicious are you!”

Lie Qing quickly took out a small flask as she said, “It is not my intention to hurt him…you have a hand too…”

Ding Yunzi was secretly relieved but all of a sudden, she burst into tears as she ran off.

Lie Qing was startled when she had suddenly run off. She quickly recovered her senses as she asked herself, “Was I in a daze just now? Why was it so? This young man…”

Xiao Youxue said, “Follow her! Don’t let her escape…”

When Xiao Youxue and Lie Qing had caught up with her, she was slashing furiously at Xiao Yuanjia instead!

Her act completely caught Xiao Youxue and Lie Qing by surprise!

Ding Yunzi repeatedly slashed and thrust at the dead body of Xiao Yuanjia, mutilating him. There was rage in her eyes as her quiet demeanor disappeared as she wept bitterly.

Lie Qing was startled, “He is already dead. Why are you slashing him so many times for? You can kill a dead man?”

Even though Lie Qing could see her sorrowful expressions but she could not resist adding an intentional remark to goal her into telling her why she hated Xiao Yuanjia so much. But she could guess as much.

Xiao Youxue covered her mouth with her hand as she too, burst into tears.

It was because she knew the real reasons; Ding Yunzi was abused when she was very young by her father and two brothers. Because of that, Ding Yunzi became cold and distant. That was when her visits to the Infinity Sword Clan had ceased as she trained day and night, hoping that one day, she would kill Xiao Shuai, Xiao Yuanjia and Xiao Da.

At first she did not know the real reason and was upset with her. But one night, she witnessed her bestial brother Xiao Yuanjia forcing himself on Ding Yunzi. Even though he had not succeeded but she had been horrified by what her brother was trying to do and finally knew the true reason now. That was not the only abuse that Ding Yunzi had faced…

But because she did not want to hurt her further, she pretended not to know anything about it. In fact, so scarring was this memory, she had even forgotten about it as she began to hate Ding Yunzi for siding with her father and brothers.

Only when she saw Ding Yunzi broke down into tears now as she repeatedly slashed at the dead corpse of Xiao Yuanjia, she remembered how tragic she had been through.

Lie Qing looked bewilderedly at Xiao Youxue and Ding Yunzi. She had killed Xiao Yuanjia by draining all his intricate energy.

Earlier, she was a little worried for she had killed Xiao Youxue’s brother and she feared that she may take vengeance on her. Even though she feared Xiao Youxue but she was also severely injured so she may not lose. But if Xiao Youxue were to join hands with Ding Yunzi, the outcome would be very unpredictable.

But Ding Yunzi reaction surprised her and led Lei Qing to think, “If Youxue attacks me, should I join hands with this Maiden Ding?”

But to her surprise, the two maidens suddenly embraced each other. They began to pour out their sorrows and wept melancholy together!

This left Lie Qing out again.

She had three options now.

One was to attack them while they were distracted for they were now her enemies due to their association with the Virtuous Palace.

Two was to quietly sneak away while she had the chance.

Lie Qing was a very smart woman so she would naturally picked the third option which was to run into their midst and embraced them together as she wept with them!

For some time, they wept together and poured out their individual grieves!

Finally Lie Qing said, “Our martial skills are not weak but our enemies are far too strong and formidable. If the three of us joined hands together, then we’ll be a force to be reckoned with. Anyone that tries to bully us or oppress us, they would have to think twice about it.”

Xiao Youxue asked weakly, “Can we fight the Virtuous Palace? There are more than a dozen top fighters…”

Lie Qing said, “As long as we are united, even if we cannot defeat them yet but at least we can keep ourselves alive until we can be stronger than them.”

At this moment, even Ding Yunzi’s eyes shone with hope. She did not want to return to the darkness again and Lie Qing’s words gave her a shimmer of hope to fight back.

Of course at this very moment, Lie Qing was already thinking of draining all the clan protégés of the Virtuous Palace dry of their virtuous intricate energy!

Lie Qing happily clapped her hands, “Since we are all from the Virtuous Palace now, let call ourselves the New Virtuous Palace!”

Ding Yunzi looked at her quietly before saying, “Are we all equals or you will be our leader?”

Xiao Youxue was also looking at Lie Qing intently.

Lie Qing smiled weakly as she thought, “Screw that.”

But she replied with a smile, “Of course we are equals! Sister Yunzi and Sister Youxue, your martial level is higher than me. I am so weak. So how can I fit to be your leader?”

Xiao Youxue interrupted coldly, “You may be weaker than the two of us and even the rest of the Virtuous Palace now. But if you are able to drain them of their intricate energy, you will not fear us anymore.”

Lie Qing sighed, “Do you know that it is not possible to acquire more intricate energy by draining? I still need to regain my internal energy first.”

Ding Yunzi asked, “What do you mean?”

Lie Qing explained, “The purpose of draining intricate energy is to make my own intricate energy as pure as possible so that I can have an easier time to breakthrough to the next level of the Divine Invincible Force.”

She sighed, “You have no idea how difficult it is for me to reach my present attainment and the difference between this level and the next is so vast…”

Of course, Xiao Youxue and Ding Yunzi understood it.

Xiao Youxue had to undergo several trials just to master the Golden Impervious Body and the Icy Heavenly Tears. The higher the attainment, the difficulty for the next level progression was many times as frustrating and hard. In fact, advancing through the wrong progression may even cause the martial attainment to deteriorate!

She remembered the fatal mistakes made by her mother that caused her to lose her life. By several coincidences, she had managed to revert some of her old mistakes in training the Icy Heavenly Tears and even attained the level six staging. But that was like the maximum that she could go for the next several decades. It was because she did not have the intricate formula for the next level progression. Even if she had it, she would need at least ten years of dedicated pondering even though she was already highly gifted…

As for Ding Yunzi, she had practiced the Virtuous Divine Force but that was only the basic staging. It was because the elders of the Virtuous Palace had already found a flaw in the intricate formula of the Virtuous Divine Force which was really the Invincible Divine Force and caution practicing it unless the practitioner had sixty years of internal energy foundation.

That was why Xiao Shuai had deliberately experimented with the imperfect Invincible Divine Force and left it in the martial fraternity to see if anyone could really practice it.

By a chance happening, it was found by Gongsun Bai. Xiao Shuai was surprised that Gongsun Bai could actually practice on the original Invincible Divine Force on his own without hindering his martial progression. What he did not know was that decades ago, Shui Yichi had helped Gongsun Bai to correct many of the intricate formula of the Invincible Divine Force.

Ding Yunzi said all of a sudden, “Maiden Lie Qing, so you know the original Invincible Divine Force?”

Lie Qing knew what Ding Yunzi was thinking as she replied, “Who else knows the original Invincible Divine Force other than me? I can teach you the Invincible Divine Force if you want to. After all, we are going to be good sisters soon.”

Ding Yunzi was very smart. She did not hesitate at all as she said, “If you are willing to impart to me every single word of the intricate formula, I would be grateful…”

She had purposely stressed “every single word” to emphasis that she meant the entire intricate formula of the Invincible Divine Force.

Lie Qing laughed softly and said, “Then good sister, you must teach me your flying sword techniques. I want to learn it too.”

Ding Yunzi smiled and said, “Unfortunately, even if I want to teach you the flying sword technique, it is not possible for you to learn it.”

Lie Qing asked in surprise, “Oh?”

Xiao Youxue interrupted gently, “That is because there is no shortcut in acquainting this skill. Not only do you have to know the various different techniques, you need to practice continuous for ten years at the soonest. I know that many protégés in the Virtuous Palace typically take as long as thirty years to even master the basic throwing.”

Lie Qing was disappointed immediately as it shown in her expressions. There were many techniques that required sheer hard work and dedication. She knew that it was true. There was simply no shortcut in this type of sword technique. That why it was a martial feat.

In the martial fraternity, no one was truly invincible. The various martial clans were almost famously renowned for one or more exception feats, techniques or martial skills that made the martial clan unique.

Xiao Youxue asked her, “Why do you name us the New Virtuous Palace? Are you trying to create more chaos or just blackening the reputation of the Virtuous Palace? How awkward it is to add a new in front…”

Lie Qing laughed mysteriously, “That is because…I like the name!”

She told a half-truth. That was because she did not want to reveal her sad past, just like Ding Yunzi did not want to tell anyone her past and so did Xiao Youxue.

Digging out the past was the last thing in their minds because they did not want anyone to know about their tragic past.

Xiao Youxue did not want Yi Ping to know that she was the one that had killed his wife.

Ding Yunzi asked, “So who will be our leader? We still haven’t settled this yet.”

Lie Qing smiled alluring, “Whoever becomes leader, I am sure none of us would be fully in agreement and we can argue whole day. How about Yi Ping?”

Ding Yunzi softened her eyes and muttered something.

Xiao Youxue said, “He is our best option then.”

It was because the only person that could keep Lie Qing in check could possibly be Yi Ping since he had saved her life and she could tell that Lie Qing had a lot of respect for him or else she would not talk ceaselessly all the time to him. It was because martial exponents at their advantage staging would prefer more quiet time in mediation and thinking of how to improve their martial progression with whatever little time they had.

All of a sudden, she remembered Yi Ping was still lying on the ground as her sharp ears had picked out the sounds of a wolf pack approaching the forest!

Xiao Youxue immediately gasped, “Oh no! Yi Ping is still there!”

The three maidens immediately rushed to where Yi Ping had fallen and reached there just in time to see a pack of wolves attacking Yi Ping!

Ding Yunzi immediately drawn out her sword and whirled it in a circular motion before she sent her sword flying towards the pack of wolves as it slashed across, killing the wolves in front! The rest of the surviving wolves began to scatter when their wolf pack leader was killed.

Xiao Youxue gasped, “We are just in time. He almost got eaten alive by these wolves!”

Lie Qing heaved a sigh of relief as she said, “He seems to be well like by the animals…”

Xiao Youxue could not resist adding, “Better than killed by a pig…”


Ch26 End
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Chapter 28: Eternal Ice Palace vs. the Virtuous Palace!



Xiao Youxue had run out of the city in tears, attracting stunned reactions and pitiful sympathies from many.

Those inside the inn may not be able to hear their conversations but they could hear Yi Ping raising his voice. When Xiao Youxue had dashed out of the room, the crowd began to curse the man that had caused such a delicate maiden to be in tears!

When she had reached the outskirt of the city along a river bank, after making sure that there was no one following her, she could not hold back her grief any longer. She collapsed on the grass as she wept bitterly.

She did not know how long she had been crying in the dark.

“Youxue, don’t cry please…” It was Ding Yunzi. It took her awhile to find her in the darkness.

Xiao Youxue fell into her embrace as she wept bitterly, “Why must fate torment me just like that? Why must the person that I like, is also the person that hates me the most?”

Ding Yunzi said, “Youxue, don’t cry anymore. It is impossible for you to kill the Celestial Fairy for I have seen her on the same day that you have lured us to the Honor Manor.”

Xiao Youxue sobbed melancholy, “Sister Yun…you are still trying to comfort me. I have really killed her with my own hands…”

Ding Yunzi was in bewilderment as she asked, “If you have killed the Celestial Fairy, then who is the Celestial Fairy that Xiao Shuai and I have fought against?”

Xiao Youxue looked at Ding Yunzi in her eyes as she asked, “You have really seen the Celestial Fairy? What does she look like?”

Ding Yunzi said, “I will never forget her sight. She is like a heavenly fairy and looked extremely delicate and graceful. Even though her voice is very soft and gentle, I can hear her clearly. Her internal strength is also terrible to behold. With just her sleeve alone, she can deflect Xiao Shuai and my flying scabbards…”

Xiao Youxue gasped, “You have really fought against her? Did my fath…Xiao Shuai and you kill or defeat her in the end?”

She had made that conclusion because if the Celestial Fairy had won against Xiao Shuai and Ding Yunzi, then Ding Yunzi would not be here talking to her!

Ding Yunzi said, “We didn’t fight any further. So the fight is inconclusive.”

Xiao Youxue asked, “Xiao Shuai let her go, just like that?”

Ding Yunzi nodded as she said, “It seems that Xiao Shuai and the Celestial Fairy are old acquaintances so when she had left, we didn’t pursue them. Moreover, we have expended considerable amount of our martial power and need the time to recuperate first.”

She began to sigh heavily, “Now I know why Xiao Shuai wants Yi Ping dead.”

Xiao Youxue asked, “He wants Yi Ping dead? Why? He didn’t even know him!”

Ding Yunzi said coolly, “At first I didn’t know the reason. Now I do. It is because Xiao Shuai may have feelings for the Celestial Fairy and that is why we are ordered to kill all the male protégés of the Eternal Ice Palace. Now I have finally understood that he meant to kill only Yi Ping because he is the Celestial Fairy’s husband!”

Xiao Youxue was startled, “Shui Yixian is still alive? She is really not dead?”

She was stunned yet she was relieved at the same time.

She said, “If the Celestial Fairy is still alive, why didn’t Yi Ping know?”

Ding Yunzi said, “I do not know the exact reason. There are many questions to be asked too. The only way for us to know is to ask the Celestial Fairy herself. But you have to be wary. The Celestial Fairy is looking everywhere for you too…”

Xiao Youxue smiled weakly, “Good. I have tried to kill her. She has every reason to kill me. As long as Yi Ping does not bear a grudge against me, I am content…”

All of a sudden, there were dozens of sparks in front of them as dozens of brilliant needles flew in their direction!

Lie Qing had suddenly appeared in front of them as she deflected the secret projectiles with her dark sword as she cried out alarmingly, “Be careful! There are others here too!”

Lie Qing had arrived just after Ding Yunzi but chosen to remain hidden as she did not want to disturb the emotional moments. After some time, she had suddenly observed two other maidens in black velvet dress had quietly moved towards Xiao Youxue!

If Lie Qing had not seen them with her very own eyes, she could not believe that they could move so rapidly in the darkness like apparitions and it appeared that they were just treading onto the tip of the grass!

Xiao Youxue and Ding Yunzi were alarmed! It was because someone else had not only secretly sneaked within their alert zone without their knowing and had thrown the secret projectiles in such a quiet manner!

Ding Yunzi immediately drawn out her long sword and saw that there were two maidens in front of them!

Ding Yunzi and Xiao Youxue were startled as they took a step backward!

Indeed it was Shui Yujian and Shui Meijian. It was only after the grand congregation in the Honor Manor that they had heard that Yi Ping and the Holy Maiden of the Holy Hex Sect had barged to disrupt the gathering. They had missed Yi Ping only narrowly!

Because Yi Ping was now a fugitive wanted by the majority of the orthodox fraternity, Shui Yixian deducted that since the Honor Manor was planning a western expedition to attack the Holy Hex Sect, then Yi Ping may well be there too since he was associated with the Holy Maiden of the Holy Hex Sect.

A third maiden was standing delicately behind the two beautiful maidens. She was very beautiful as though she was a goddess. All three of them were very fair and were very white. In the darkness, in their dark velvet dresses, they had appeared to be supernatural beings.

Xiao Youxue was shocked. It was because the third maiden that was here was indeed the Celestial Fairy! She thought, “She is really alive. She has really come to kill me…”

Lie Qing was startled too. It was because she was very sure she had seen two maidens but there were now three?! These two maidens that she had seen were identical and it was obvious that they were twins. They had a long precious sword in their hands and the secret projectiles were thrown by them!

Shui Yujian and Shui Meijian were equally startled. They had quietly moved into striking range and were confident they could not miss but their attacks were intercepted by a beautiful maiden with red eyes.

Even Shui Yixian was looking at Lie Qing as she appraised her opponent. All of a sudden, Shui Yixian hurled three silvery needles towards Lie Qing!

Even though the three silvery needles were hurled at the same time, the three silvery needles were moving at different speeds and that was what made it extremely deadly!

The first silvery needle flew with startling speed as it burst with an extraordinary power through the air. Lie Qing’s eyes were exceptional sharp as she raised her black sword as she said, “Secret Projectiles are useless against me…”

But to her surprise, the first needle suddenly grew dim and disappeared! Lie Qing was startled as she raised her black sword just in time to parry off the second and third silvery needles one after the other!

The second needle was so powerful that she was forced to take two steps backward and the third needle sent her moving a further three steps backward!

Just when she had just recovered her footings, the first needle reappeared again and flew straight into her body and flew out in the opposite direction with a thunderous impact!

In that single moment, blood spilled out of her body and her dress was tainted red with her blood!

Lie Qing shrieked softly as she was hurled a further five to six steps backward before falling on the ground!

Xiao Youxue and Ding Yunzi immediately flew to her side as they cried out her name!

Ding Yunzi turned and stared sternly at Shui Yixian, “I didn’t know that the Eternal Ice Palace has to resort to such despicable means to kill us.”

Shui Meijian smiled sweetly, “We just want to teach you a lesson. I still remember we have an unfinished fight with you the last time!”

Ding Yunzi said, “Indeed, we have.”

Shui Yujian said coldly, “That old man isn’t here today to protect you. Do you think you can escape from our swords tonight?”

Lie Qing trembled as she got up slowly.

Xiao Youxue said, “Lie Qing, you are injured…”

Lie Qing steadied herself as she said to Shui Yixian, “Is this the best that you can do?”

Shui Yixian was startled. This young maiden had actually survived her Soul Seeking Needles? And she had those unusual red eyes…

Lie Qing said, “The same trick won’t work against me again. The needle that had struck me is actually a black needle. You have made use of the reflection of the other silver needles and the sudden burst of your martial power to deceive my eyes.”

Shui Yixian had noticed that the blood on her dress had also dried and she was not bleeding anymore. She sighed softly as she said, “The Golden Impervious Body Divine Skill. It seems that this fight is not going to be easy. You are so young and yet you have mastered such an extraordinary divine skill.”

Lie Qing said coldly, “Do you really think I am as young as you thought?”

All of a sudden, there was a fearsome aura around Lie Qing as she said, “You have dared to injure me. I am going to let you pay for the price!”

Shui Yujian gasped, “That aura is an impervious force?!”

Even Shui Meijian was shaken! That was because even though the Divine Emerald Skill was a type of invisible buffer force, it was extremely draining to use and hard to maintain its focus. This type of impervious force protects the body in its entirety against exterior blows.

Moreover this Lie Qing had mastered the Golden Impervious Body Divine Skill, so she had doubly the protection. An ordinary exponent would never have the chance against her! Needless to say, this type of skill required an extremely strong foundation in internal strength to even use it!

Even if Shui Yixian was startled but she did not shown it. It was because years of practicing the Emotionless Rhythm had made her emotionless.

She just said simply, “Is that the Divine Virtuous Force?”

Lie Qing nodded as she said, “That’s right but the original name of this skill is called the Invincible Divine Force.”

Xiao Youxue was still looking at Shui Yixian in startled surprise as she muttered, “She really is not dead? I didn’t kill her after all…”

Shui Yixian said gently to Xiao Youxue, “We have met again.”

Xiao Youxue regained her composure as she said, “Indeed…You have survived.”

Shui Yixian was expressionless as she said gently, “Yes, I have survived.”

Lie Qing said to herself, “I have heard of the Eternal Ice Palace even during my time. Their most formidable skills are the Divine Emerald Skill and the Icy Heavenly Tears. Even if the three of us join hands, the outcome will be uncertain.”

It was because she had suddenly discovered that she could detect no sign of life from this Celestial Fairy. This could only mean one thing, that her internal strength was extremely formidable!

And the fact that her needles had penetrated through her Golden Impervious Divine Skill means that she could also breech her Invincible Divine Skill too…

All of a sudden, she had lost confident in her Invincible Divine Force!

Ding Yunzi was calm as she analyzed, “Youxue, let’s us attack the Celestial Fairy at the same time. She is the most formidable opponent of the three. If we split our attention, we may not be able to win. On the other hand, if we join hands and attack her at the same time, she may not be able to guard against all our attacks. After all, she doesn’t have a weapon in her hands. So that is to our advantage. Avoid pitting your martial power against her as we wear her out. I have heard from Xiao Shuai that the Divine Emerald Skill may be a formidable skill but it is an extremely draining skill.”

Shui Yujian interrupted coldly, “You really think we are invisible?”

All of a sudden, Shui Meijian had attacked Ding Yunzi!

Ding Yunzi immediately slashed her sword towards Shui Meijian but was immediately repulsed by an invisible circular force as soon as she had attacked when Shui Meijian had raised her left fingers in front of her!

Ding Yunzi leapt back a few steps in surprise as she had never fought against the Divine Emerald Skill before. She took out the foldable sword from her belt to her left hand as she thought, “So the direction where her finger is pointing is where the buffer force of the Divine Emerald Skill is centralized. If I slash against the buffer force, I will weaken her martial power or if I attack her from where she is least expecting, I can avoid the Divine Emerald Skill entirely.”

So she began to slash from right to left, left to right, as she began her counterattacks, saying to Shui Meijian, “I will like to see how long can you last!”

As soon as her sister Shui Meijian had attacked, Shui Yujian had attacked Lie Qing!

Shui Yujian raised her left finger and her long sword in her hand as she displayed the eerie cold energy wave of the Frosty Icicle Swordplay. But as soon as she found a weak point to strike, she would always be deflected by an outer force similar to the Divine Emerald Skill!

Lie Qing had raised her martial power and display the Invincible Divine Force, merging the Invincible Divine Force into her swordplay as she counter-attacked against Shui Yujian, “You are courting your own death!”

From the initial impact, she could tell that her opponent mastery in the Divine Emerald Skill was not strong enough to withstand the full impact of her Invincible Divine Force. Therefore she had raised her martial power to her zenith.

All of a sudden, Lie Qing sensed that something was not right as she felt her Invincible Divine Force seemed to be faltering when she had struck against the Divine Emerald Force. She gasped. “You are able to neutralize my Invincible Divine Force?”

Shui Yujian replied softly, “This is the exchanging spirit of the Dual Inertness Intricacy, the divinity state of absorbing the essence of heavens and earth as my divinity state, the changes of heavens and earth as my changes, changing the opponent martial power to be used as my own. I am afraid that even before my martial power become exhausted, you would be fallen by my sword instead.”

Lie Qing broke into a cold sweat. She had never expected that this young maiden of eighteen would be able to hold against her! This fight was not as easy as it had appeared!

All of a sudden, Ding Yunzi had stepped next to her, startling her!

After Lie Qing took a glance at Ding Yunzi and looked at her opponent again, she was startled! It was because she could not tell which of the twin sisters that she was previously fighting as they moved and attacked at the same time!

Ding Yunzi said panicky, “Lie Qing, be very careful. This seems to be a sword formation!”

In terms of martial strength and techniques, Lie Qing and Ding Yunzi had the advantage. Somehow, to their utter surprises, the twin sisters did not show any sign of fear as they calmly dismantle their strokes one by one!

Lie Qing had displayed one after one another of her mesmerizing sword strokes but the twin sisters were simply unaffected! She thought, “It is impossible…”

Ding Yunzi had rained dozens of her best sword strokes against them. Even a super exponent would have to take a step or two backward but the twin sisters would always find a way to retaliate as though they could see through her feint!

Was that not bewildering?

What they did not know of course was that Shui Yujian and Shui Meijian had combined the Defense Harmony of the Tranquil Spirits with the ‘Linking Spirits’ progression of the Dual Inertness Intricacy they had just recently learnt. Even before Lie Qing and Ding Yunzi had changed their sword strokes, they had already sensed their intentions through the changes in their intricate energies!

Shui Yixian and Xiao Youxue had also exchanged blows almost immediately!

Shui Yixian raised her fingers as she attacked with her Jade Icy Fingers while Xiao Youxue was attacking furiously and rapidly with her Penetrating Hands Skill!

Both maidens were attacking so fast and furiously that their arms and hands could scarcely be seen! It appeared that their legs were not moving but that was the opposite. As soon as Xiao Youxue raised her foot, Shui Yixian had struck her thigh with her fingers! As soon as Shui Yixian prepared to kick her, she was restrained by another slight kick!

Even though Xiao Youxue’s Penetrating Hands were extremely formidable and fast, all her attacks were blocked by the Celestial Fairy and she could feel deadly painful numbness through her hands!

Shui Yixian had raised her Icy Heavenly Tears to the seventh level and was startled that Xiao Youxue would absorb the full impact of her Jade Icy Fingers. Eventually she raised her Icy Heavenly Tears to the eighth and the ninth level but still her opponent persisted!

Xiao Youxue had recited the Absolute Spirits Intricate Formula to fortitude her willpower and there was an outline of faint golden aura around her that only a highly skilled internal martial expert could see!

Shui Yixian muttered softly, “You know the Golden Impervious Body too?”

Xiao Youxue did not reply her. It was because she was focusing all her attention on her opponent! Any slight distraction would be fatal to her!

All of a sudden, Shui Yixian saw a flying sword that spin towards her with startling speed! It was hurled by Ding Yunzi when she saw an opening!

Shui Yixian immediately raised her fingers and swept the flying sword away!

All of a sudden, Lie Qing had flown to Xiao Youxue’s side as she shouted, “Attack now!”

Even before the twin sisters could stop Lie Qing, Ding Yunzi had intercepted them by throwing her scabbard and her foldable sword at each of them to buy Lie Qing the precious time!

It was because Lie Qing had quickly discovered the weakness of the Divine Emerald Skill! When the Divine Emerald Skill was activated, it was at its strongest and would wane!

Lie Qing displayed her Mesmerizing Swordplay and had used all her martial power as she leapt upon the Celestial Fairy with a powerful slash.

Lie Qing prayed, “Youxue, keep her engage! Don’t let her have the time to use her right hand for the Divine Emerald Skill…”

Xiao Youxue seemed to know Lie Qing’s stratagem as she used all her strength to prevent the Celestial Fairy from breaking free of her continuous attacks so that she did not have even a second to use the Divine Emerald Skill!

Lie Qing’s sword was the Perpetual Darkness, a sharp precious renowned sword that could cut through metal as though it was like mud! Moreover, her martial power was empowered by her Invincible Divine Force which instead of using it as an impregnable defensive force could also be turned into an unstoppable offensive force too!

Even when Shui Yixian had raised her left fingers to halt Lie Qing’s incoming attack, she could feel her Divine Emerald Skill offering minute resistance as Lie Qing’s sword slash viciously at her!

Both Shui Meijian and Yujian cried out panicky, “Mistress, watch out!!”



Ch28 End
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