The Ghost King looked at the light of room 712 upstairs, his gaze filled with defiance. The thought of Mo Chenxue lying naked on the bed waiting for him filled him with a twisted sense of revenge. "Aren't you aloof, Mo Chenxue? Aren't you a virtuous maiden? I spent millions on you and you still weren't interested. And then you left Shengshi Mudan and joined the Scarlet Moon Knights? Hitting someone isn't just about the face, but your slap to my face, Mo Chenxue, was truly resounding. Good. If I don't deal with you properly, I'll be wasting all these years I've spent building connections in Suzhou.
He smirked, feeling a sense of triumph.
"Those who follow me prosper, those who oppose me perish!"
...
Snow Domain Heavenly Pond.
Lin Zhao and Xiang Ji fought side-by-side against a large group of snow maidens. More and more snow maidens fell outside the camp. Lin Zhao's Thunderclap Sword swung continuously, creating streaks of lightning and light, blazing intensely. He was like a war god wielding a treasure sword, standing on the camp's city wall, preventing any snow maiden from entering.
Xiang Ji punched repeatedly. This time, heeding Lin Zhao's advice, he was doing much better. After a long fight, he still had 35% of his Zhenqi. Dragon Snow's sisters were almost all defeated. Her expression was grim as she coldly watched the two men in the camp. She had to make a move. If she didn't act soon... she might not get another chance.
She glanced at the five realm snow maidens around her, all of them Golden-grade quasi-bosses. She frowned, "Follow me later. Two of you will tie up the sword cultivator, and the rest will attack Xiang Ji with me. Their camp's crossbows are empty. Let's go straight in, kill Xiang Ji first, then that lower-five-realm sword cultivator. We'll flatten Snow Domain Heavenly Pond in one go!"
"Yes, my lady!"
Several snow maidens grinned wickedly, looking as if victory was assured.
The next moment, two quasi-boss level snow maidens lunged at Lin Zhao, while the other four attacked Xiang Ji.
"Be careful!"
Lin Zhao hastily raised his long sword to block the snow maidens' attacks. He looked at Xiang Ji and said, "Be careful, don't get killed, or it'll be over!"
"I'll do my best!"
Xiang Ji leaped into the air and slammed a punch forward at a snow maiden. This time, he held nothing back, sneering, "Brave of you to come and die like this?"
His fist aura blazed, sending the snow maiden flying with a single punch, but her health only dropped by 50%. These Golden-grade quasi-bosses were not easy to kill. Even for Xiang Ji, a nine-realm martial artist, it would take two punches. Actually, the most important thing... Lin Zhao felt too awkward to say it. Xiang Ji was a commander of the Great Shang Dynasty. His main focus had always been on leading troops. Therefore, although he was a Cloud Roaming realm martial artist, his martial foundation was quite ordinary. Lin Zhao even felt that his nine realms were no match for his own former eight realms. The gap was quite large. If Xiang Ji's foundation were as solid as his own, that five-realm snow maiden would have likely exploded.
But what could he do? What more could he ask of him? To have stayed in Snow Domain Heavenly Pond fighting demons for a hundred years, Xiang Ji was already an absolutely tough bone.
"Take your life!"
In the wind, amidst sharp cries, two snow maidens attacked Xiang Ji from left and right at extreme speed.
"Seeking death!?"
Xiang Ji grunted, separating his arms and sending a punch in each direction. With two muffled thuds, the two snow maidens were sent flying backward. In that instant, a phantom appeared behind Xiang Ji, making his spine feel cold. It was a Nascent Soul realm demon, the same realm as him!
Dragon Snow attacked. Her palms landed heavily on Xiang Ji's back. With just one palm, Xiang Ji spat blood, his protective fist aura shattered, and his health bar dropped by a third. It didn't end there. Dragon Snow sneered, moved in close, and delivered a heavy knee strike, sending Xiang Ji flying. She then drew the ice-colored hairpin from her bun and swiftly plunged it into Xiang Ji's chest.
"Pfft!"
Blood splattered. Xiang Ji was injured again, his health bar falling to less than 30%.
"Not good!"
Lin Zhao, without a second thought, leaped onto the city wall and charged towards Xiang Ji. As he leaped off the wall, he brushed past Dragon Snow. The moment their bodies came within 3 yards of each other, Lin Zhao suddenly unleashed a Rising Dragon Slash and shouted, "Xiang Ji, stop playing dead! Get up and punch Dragon Snow! If she doesn't die, both of us will!"
"Alright!"
Xiang Ji gritted his teeth, blood trickling from the corners of his mouth. Enduring the searing pain, he leaped into the air and landed a heavy punch on Dragon Snow's forehead. Lin Zhao seized the opportunity to also unleash a combo. Then, his entire body was enveloped in sword intent, with streams of air swirling around him, lifting his cloak. The moment his 0.5-second charge was complete, he directly unleashed a Sword Qi Charging the Bull, blasting Dragon Snow about 20 yards back. She crashed heavily through the camp's city wall, creating a large hole.
"Keep hitting her!"
Lin Zhao roared.
At this moment, in Xiang Ji's eyes, Lin Zhao, this lower-five-realm sword cultivator, was comparable to a thirteen-realm Grand Sword Immortal. He was his savior! Calm, composed, and strategic. This young sword cultivator, despite his low realm, possessed abilities far beyond the lower-five-realms. A sword cultivator who dared to attack a great Nascent Soul realm demon, how could he be lower-five-realms?
Moreover, his series of incredibly skillful attacks actually allowed Dragon Snow to take a beating without a sound. What divine ability was this?
Thinking of this, Xiang Ji punched even harder, disregarding his injuries. He was a ruthless person, and in a life-or-death situation, he became even more so. His fists landed with bone-jarring force, rapidly bringing Dragon Snow's health from 100% to 50%. The nine-realm martial artist's cultivation was evident. A nine-realm martial artist's fist striking a nine-realm cultivator was indeed incredibly painful.
"..."
Dragon Snow was stunned. The moment she was blasted away by the Sword Qi Charging the Bull, she was disoriented for 0.5 seconds and unable to move. But the instant she regained consciousness, she felt her spiritual and demonic energy unable to be mobilized, as if her cultivation and realm were sealed. Then, she was inexplicably beaten severely by the brute in front of her.
By the time the sealing effect dissipated, a sword qi had already enveloped her head.
Sword Qi collision!
With a loud boom, Dragon Snow's delicate body trembled. That kid was truly ruthless, showing no mercy at all, hitting her so hard that she shook uncontrollably. Some of her more intimate parts were almost knocked off.
"Keep hitting her!"
Lin Zhao launched another series of attacks, unleashing his Universe Throw and Heavy Slash. Xiang Ji, meanwhile, smashed a heavy punch into Dragon Snow's neck from the side, sending her flying with a loud bang. Another large hole was blasted through the distant city wall. Lin Zhao watched with a pang of heartache. "I told you to punch, not tear down the house! You have no foresight!"
But killing Dragon Snow was the priority now. Nothing else mattered as much.
"You..."
Dragon Snow rose from a pile of rubble, her pretty face smudged with dust. She felt the greatest insult of her life, being toyed with by that kid. It was a profound humiliation, and she said resentfully, "You all will..."
"Chii!" A sharp sound. Before she could finish speaking, a gleaming flying sword pierced her throat, leaving a large blood hole. The wound in the blood hole began to freeze, and her entire body was covered in a layer of frost.
"..."
Dragon Snow was filled with grief. What kind of freak was that kid to have such a sharp flying sword that could easily pierce her Nascent Soul realm protective aura?!
Before she could figure it out, Xiang Ji's heavy punch descended from the sky. With a loud bang, Dragon Snow's head was smashed into the ground, and at the same time, her last bit of health was depleted, completing the kill!
Lin Zhao grumbled. The killing of this Golden-grade boss had something to do with him, but also nothing to do with him. It was a headache.
"Crack!"
Xiang Ji stomped on Dragon Snow's back and abruptly twisted her head off her body. He sneered and threw Dragon Snow's head towards the few remaining snow maidens, saying, "Take this head to see your Lord Bai Ye and tell him to send someone stronger next time. If he sends this kind of trash, they'll just keep dying!"
"..."
The few snow maidens trembled, picked up Dragon Snow's head, and flew away on the wind.
Lin Zhao fell silent, looking at Xiang Ji.
"What's wrong?"
Xiang Ji felt a little guilty. "Did I... do something wrong?"
"Many things."
Lin Zhao sat on the stone platform beneath the demon-suppressing crossbow, resting his elbows on his knees, gasping for breath. He frowned, "First, you shouldn't have used Dragon Snow's head to provoke Bai Ye. Bai Ye controls the Ninth Military Tent. If the army truly descends, we might have to relocate."
"This... I didn't consider it thoroughly. That's true."
"Second, Lord Xiang Ji, are you not married?"
"Ah?"
Xiang Ji was shocked. "How did you know I'm not married? Indeed, for many years, I've been on the battlefield, with no time for marriage."
Lin Zhao said indifferently, "Dragon Snow is dead, and you still twisted off her head. Your cruel nature of 'destroying flowers' ... you don't understand tenderness at all. It would be a miracle if any woman were willing to marry you."
"Ah? Hahaha..."
Xiang Ji scratched his head. The commander of the Purple Thunder Legion rarely showed such an embarrassed expression. He said, "Is that so? Then I'll pay attention in the future?"
"It's up to you."
Lin Zhao ignored him and jumped off the high platform to start pulling arrows from outside the city. There were 1000 crossbow arrows in total, and some had been pulled.
...
At night, there were few people on the streets. Although the public order in Suzhou was considered good in the entire Huaxia region, it was actually quite average. In the dead of night, robberies, fights, gambling, drunkenness, and other incidents were happening almost everywhere. There were frequent quarrels between men and women, loud curses. People living in the lower-class districts were long accustomed to all this.
Single Apartment.
The on-duty security guard went for a smoke. The moment he left his post, a group of people came up from the elevator. Among them were three burly men and a woman with a child.
"Knock, knock, knock~~~"
There was a knock on Mo Chenxue's apartment door.
"Hmm?"
Mo Chenxue frowned, went offline, and peeked through the peephole. It was a woman with a child.
"Who are you looking for?"
"I... I..."
The woman said with an angry face, "My husband hasn't come home for days. Someone said he's living with you, you little slut. Open the door quickly and let me see!"
"I don't know your husband..." Mo Chenxue was stunned.
"Open the door quickly!"
The woman was very agitated.
"Really, I'm alone."
"Who knows where you, you slut, are hiding him? Open the door, or I'll break it down!"
"..."
Mo Chenxue helplessly opened the door. But the moment she opened it, a strange man rushed out and covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief that had a pungent odor.