Boom! Ice shards scattered as You Wu Xie emerged from the shattered ice of the mountain peak, stepping into the void. His expression was cold as he made his way toward the mountain where he had been meditating. The wind and snow raged around the area, covering the region in a blanket of frost, but even though the weather was freezing, You Wu Xie's expression remained unfazed.
You Wu Xie was genuinely enraged. For a moment, he had let his guard down and was struck by that brat's Earth Demon Sword, which sent him crashing into the mountain. This was an enormous humiliation—this mountain was filled with practitioners of the dark path, and such an embarrassing moment had been witnessed by them all.
His robe swayed as he moved, and with a flick of his body, he slid along the reformed ice back to where Feng Yun Wu Ji lay. Feng Yun Wu Ji's thin body was sprawled on the ground, hands pressed to the earth as he gasped heavily for air. Hearing the footsteps of You Wu Xie, he did not lift his head but chuckled, "What? Are you going to strike?"
You Wu Xie's voice was cold as he retorted, "Do you think I shouldn't?"
Feng Yun Wu Ji raised his head and calmly responded, "I was merely releasing the chaotic sword intent within me. With your strength, surely you wouldn't be injured by my Earth Demon Sword after just a few years of cultivation, would you? Since you're unharmed, do you really need to be so angry?"
The calm expression on Feng Yun Wu Ji's face made You Wu Xie feel quite uncomfortable. He had never had trouble killing anyone before, but for some reason, he felt as if he shouldn't kill this person.
"Hahaha! You Wu Xie, you really fell into the gutter! A little brat like this actually managed to send you crashing into the mountain? What a disgrace!" A young man in black robes appeared behind You Wu Xie at some point. Carrying a dark long sword, his long hair fluttering in the wind, he stepped through the air and laughed loudly, pointing at You Wu Xie.
"This is none of your business!" You Wu Xie snapped coldly, and with no warning, he pointed a finger. A half-red, half-blue star fire shot from his fingertip, silently heading toward the black-robed youth.
"Fire and Ice Finger!" The young man's face changed drastically. He was quick to react, stepping to the side with a swift movement, narrowly avoiding the red-blue flame.
Whoosh! The star fire struck the towering ice peak, causing it to swell and burst into a roaring flame. The red and blue flames spread, engulfing the mountaintop, and the fire surged to a height of over ten meters.
"Well done! I didn't expect you to master such a powerful Fire and Ice Finger in such a short time!" The young man gritted his teeth. "You've ruined my cave. I, Nalan Ruoyong, will remember this."
"Hmph, only the strong matter. Evil Sword, you seem to understand that principle well enough," You Wu Xie said proudly.
"Of course. I don't need this cave anymore anyway. There's a cave on the eastern ice peak I've had my eye on. I'll go there and ask that senior to move out. We'll meet again later. Farewell." Without another word, Nalan Ruoyong turned and walked away.
"Farewell." You Wu Xie cupped his hands in a mock salute.
"Heh... you destroy my cave and think you can just leave? It won't be that easy. Take this!" Nalan Ruoyong suddenly spun around after a few steps, and with a sharp ringing sound, his dark long sword was drawn. As it left its sheath, a terrifying murderous aura burst forth, shaking the stars in the sky.
Nalan Ruoyong swung his sword, sending a powerful sword strike toward You Wu Xie. In the blink of an eye, the distance between them was closed, and the sword tip was almost at You Wu Xie's chest.
"Heh, I, the Cold Pool Demon, know all too well what kind of person you are, Evil Sword. I've been waiting for this moment," You Wu Xie chuckled darkly, unfazed by the sword aimed at his heart, and slapped his palm toward Nalan Ruoyong's shoulder.
As his palm came down, a red-blue fire burst from it. Nalan Ruoyong seemed to fear this flame, retreating quickly. But his long sword struck with even greater speed, flying toward You Wu Xie faster than before. The sword emitted a dreadful howl, as if thousands of vengeful souls were wailing in the air.
"This man has a terrifying murderous aura. I wonder what kind of cruel cultivation method he practices. Judging by this power, the sword must have absorbed an unimaginable amount of blood."
You Wu Xie seemed to recognize the sword's power. He pulled back his right palm, delivering a series of slaps to push the sword away. But not far off, the young man with the sword was already performing a sword technique, engaging You Wu Xie in a fierce battle.
"Nalan Ruoyong, I had intended to show you mercy, but you're forcing me to use more force," You Wu Xie growled, his face cold as ice.
Nalan Ruoyong knew he was no match for You Wu Xie, but he couldn't show weakness. The dark path practitioners in the area had already been alerted, and countless divine senses swept through the space, observing the fight. In front of so many peers, Nalan Ruoyong couldn't afford to lose face. He silently cursed himself for mocking You Wu Xie earlier, now realizing he had backed himself into a corner.
"You think I'm afraid of you? Take this!" Nalan Ruoyong called out, his hands coming together in front of him. In the blink of an eye, a shadowy long sword appeared between his hands. The sword split into two, then into four, then eight, until there were twenty-four shadow swords hovering in front of him.
"Evil Xie, receive my Death Shadows!" Nalan Ruoyong howled, his long hair flying as he released the shadow swords. The swords vanished almost instantly, heading toward You Wu Xie.
You Wu Xie's face shifted. "You're actually using this technique here? Hmph. You dare to use it, and I fear nothing!" You Wu Xie shouted coldly, and a frosty storm erupted from his body, expanding outward in a radiating wave. Wherever it touched, even the air turned into solid ice.
Boom! Boom! Boom! The sound of cracking filled the air as the shadow swords collided with You Wu Xie's ice storm. With each impact, You Wu Xie's face paled, but his ancient cultivation was not easily shaken. The ice storm continued to expand, unrelenting.
Nalan Ruoyong let out a shrill scream as the collision of their energies tore through the air. The mountains and peaks around them collapsed, and massive chunks of ice rained down. The nearby dark path practitioners, still aware of their surroundings, swiftly escaped their caves and fled into the void.
The once quiet You Ming Peak was now filled with the sounds of curses and chaos from the dark path practitioners.
Suddenly, a black flag shot down from the sky, piercing through the two combatants and embedding itself into the ground near Feng Yun Wu Ji. The flag displayed two words: "Break" on one side, and "Destruction" on the other.
A black shadow appeared in the distance, moving with incredible speed—a middle-aged man in a green robe. His gaze swept across the gathered faces before landing on the two combatants, and he sternly called out, "The Master of Destruction commands you—Evil Xie You Wu Xie, Evil Sword Nalan Ruoyong, report to the Hall of Destruction immediately!"
With that, he waved his hand, and the flag disappeared into his grasp as he vanished in the blink of an eye.
Both You Wu Xie and Nalan Ruoyong's faces changed drastically when the flag appeared. As soon as the man finished speaking, both of them responded in unison, "Understood!"
At the same time, the dark path practitioners who had been watching quickly vanished, as if they had seen a ghost.