“Xue Hong!”
A man who appeared to be her cultivation partner, a senior disciple named Chen Qiaoqian, let out a heart-wrenching cry. With a sweep of his hands, a dark streak of light shot out and began frantically swirling around her corpse, attempting to locate the ice demon responsible for her death.
To be honest, Senior Martial Sister “Xue Hong” died under rather unjust circumstances. If she hadn’t been momentarily driven by a competitive spirit and resorted to using a talisman treasure, she might still be alive and well.
Before activating the talisman treasure, she had always kept a light gauze defensive magical instrument floating by her side. However, in an attempt to shorten the activation time and conserve her magical power, she carelessly withdrew the instrument. As a result, left unprotected, she lost her life. Yet, it would be unfair to simply attribute her death to inexperience or carelessness.
She had only felt secure enough to activate the talisman treasure because she saw that the enemy before her had transformed into a cocoon of light and assumed her fellow disciples were nearby for protection. Who could have predicted that the ice demon would break free from its cocoon in a semi-demonic form and immediately target her while invisible?
At that moment, she was in the final stage of activating the talisman treasure and couldn’t halt the process even if she wanted to. That was how she fell victim to the deadly attack.
It’s worth noting that when Song Meng activated his spear talisman treasure, he also didn’t use any protective measures. However, his talisman treasure was less powerful, so he succeeded in activating it earlier. Otherwise, who knows which one of them the hidden ice demon would have ambushed?
Moreover, it wasn’t just the two of them—even Han Li and the others who had launched the attack earlier hadn’t activated their defensive instruments. After all, the cocoons of light were nothing more than defenseless targets at the time, so they saw no need to waste magical power on additional defenses.
But now, witnessing the gruesome sight of the woman’s heart being torn out and hearing Han Li’s warning, the others broke out in a cold sweat. Defensive instruments and protective barriers instantly materialized around them, guarding against the possibility of the sinister and brutal enemy launching another sneak attack.
However, what left them even more bewildered was that no matter what invisibility spells or concealment artifacts they employed, they couldn’t trace the demon’s whereabouts. Occasionally, someone would catch a glimpse of its figure, but before they could react, it would vanish again without a trace. It seemed to be moving at an incredibly high speed. By this point, the ice demon had become almost completely translucent, flickering in and out of sight around them. Not only was it invisible to the naked eye, but even spiritually attuned magical instruments were ineffective at tracking it, easily shaken off after a few attempts.
This left everyone on edge, anxiously scanning their surroundings, effectively immobilized by the pressure exerted by the semi-demonic ice demon alone.
Only Han Li watched the scene unfold with a strange expression on his face.
Senior Martial Brother Wang, who had fought alongside Han Li, had never witnessed such a bloody scene before. His face was deathly pale, etched with fear. For him, the fact that a senior martial sister who had been laughing and chatting with him just moments ago was now dead felt like a nightmare. This was a far cry from his earlier expectation of their side demonstrating overwhelming power and effortlessly annihilating the enemy.
As he thought this, he glanced at the grief-stricken cultivation partner of Senior Martial Sister “Xue Hong,” and his expression grew even grimmer.
Perhaps the more one fears something, the more likely it is to happen. Whether it was because his nervousness caught the ice demon’s attention or because he seemed like an easier target, just as he was lost in anxiety, a transparent, icy claw materialized out of thin air behind him and lunged straight for his heart.
Fortunately, his defensive magical instrument, a small bronze shield, was quite spiritually attuned. Without waiting for Wang’s command, it instantly shifted position and blocked the attack.
With a light “clang,” the icy claw was repelled, but the bronze shield was instantly coated in a thick layer of frost and fell straight to the ground, temporarily losing its spiritual energy.
Only then did Wang realize the danger behind him. His face turned ashen, and he instinctively turned around, frantically scanning his surroundings. Seeing no immediate threat, he hesitated for a moment before bending down to retrieve the small bronze shield, intending to thaw it and reactivate it in time.
“Get out of the way!” Liu Jing, who was nearby, saw his action and shouted at him in alarm and anger.
“What?” Wang was momentarily stunned, not understanding what was happening, when the water-attribute protective barrier behind him emitted a crisp shattering sound. Immediately after, an icy, bone-chilling wind assaulted his back.
“Oh no!” Wang realized what was happening almost simultaneously. The invisible ice demon hadn’t retreated after its first failed attack but had instead circled around to his back for another lethal strike.
In that instant, Wang’s mind went blank. The only image that surfaced was the bloody, tragic death of Senior Martial Sister “Xue Hong.”
“To think it would be my turn so soon!” was the only thought that crossed his mind.
But just then, his vision blurred, and he felt his body lighten as if he were soaring through clouds and mist. Then, a series of thunderous sounds and someone’s furious roar erupted beneath him. The next moment, his feet touched solid ground, and he found himself standing safely.
“Junior Brother Wang, are you alright?” Just as he was bewildered, unsure whether he was dead or alive, an extremely concerned voice reached his ears.
Hearing this familiar voice, he turned his head dazedly to see Liu Jing looking at him with a worried expression. Seeing this face, Wang finally realized he was indeed alive and unharmed. Overwhelmed with relief and gratitude, he exclaimed, “Senior Brother Liu, was it you who saved me?”
As soon as he spoke, Wang himself was startled by how hoarse his voice sounded—a clear indication of the terror he had just experienced.
Liu Jing, however, looked somewhat embarrassed and replied apologetically, “I’m ashamed to say it wasn’t me who saved you, Junior Brother. It was Junior Brother Han Li who intervened just in time. He’s still fighting that demon now! *Cough* I’d heard from all of you before that Junior Brother Han had killed over a dozen Foundation Establishment cultivators despite his youth, but I didn’t quite believe it. Now I’ve truly seen it with my own eyes. Junior Brother Han’s strength is truly unfathomable!”
“Junior Brother Han?” Wang was taken aback. He distinctly remembered Han Li being five or six zhang away from him. How could he have possibly reached him in time?
With this doubt in mind, Wang hurriedly turned to look in the direction where the sounds of battle were coming from. The scene that met his eyes left him utterly stunned.
The spot where he had just been attacked appeared completely empty, yet the sounds of intense combat—clashing and furious roars—echoed from it. Occasionally, sharp streaks of light or something resembling sword energy would shoot out inexplicably, carving numerous deep and shallow grooves into the nearby ground.
It took Wang a long moment to collect himself.
Just as he was about to voice his astonishment, a fierce gust of wind suddenly swept across the empty space. Then, a pale, semi-transparent figure materialized out of thin air, flying backward in a bizarre, rapid retreat, startling Wang.
This figure was none other than the semi-demonic blood attendant who had attacked him. However, the demon now appeared even more monstrous, its body crystalline and utterly transparent.
“Impossible! How can you see through my invisibility and keep up with my speed?!” The demon’s crystalline face was contorted with shock and rage, even a hint of fear.
After uttering these words, it let out a bestial growl, lunged forward fiercely, and vanished once again.
Then, Han Li’s cold snort was heard, and the halted sounds of battle resumed, even more intense than before. Moreover, the fight was no longer confined to one spot but began spreading outward, forcing Liu Jing and the others—who could only hear the battle but not see it—to retreat repeatedly with pale faces.
Even the grief-stricken cultivation partner of the deceased female cultivator had no choice but to temporarily step back, fearing he might be caught in the crossfire of Han Li and the demon’s battle and die without even understanding how.
They all knew that, for now, they were powerless to intervene in this invisible battle.
“Look at the ground!” Song Meng exclaimed in alarm.
Hearing this, the others lowered their gazes, and what they saw sent a chill down their spines.
The ground ahead had, at some point, frozen over with a thick layer of crystalline ice, glistening under the moonlight and appearing extremely slippery.
“This demon is cunning! It turned the ground into this. This is unfavorable for Junior Brother Han!” Song Meng said anxiously, his face full of worry.
“Not necessarily. Although we don’t know what movement technique Junior Brother Han is using that makes him just as undetectable to us, judging by the sounds, he isn’t at a disadvantage. Clearly, the icy ground isn’t affecting him much. However, the eeriness of these demons after transformation has far exceeded our expectations. To think one of our fellow disciples would lose her life here… I am truly to blame!” Liu Jing fell silent for a moment before speaking slowly.
Hearing his words and seeing his heavy expression, the others were at a loss for how to comfort him.
Little did they know that the Junior Brother Han they spoke of—Han Li—was currently cursing vehemently in his heart even as he battled the ice demon.
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