In an exceptionally secluded valley behind the mountain, sheer cliffs surrounded them like they had been carved by blades and axes. Dense woods completely shut out the noise of the outside world, leaving only the mournful whistling of wind through the treetops.
The open ground in the valley was flat, carpeted in green grass. A shallow stream trickled through it, glittering like scattered gold beneath the sunlight. A breeze rustled the grass softly, making the valley seem all the more deep and tranquil.
At the center of the valley, two people stood facing one another. Their invisible auras collided in the air, and a killing intent spread outward.
Xiao Xun'er's green robes fluttered lightly. Her originally quiet and restrained temperament abruptly changed, as though a dormant volcano had suddenly erupted!
The powerful pressure of a Five-star Dou Master burst forth without restraint. Her Dou Qi was pure and condensed, far surpassing that of her peers, and carried a blazing nobility that seemed capable of burning all things and towering above all living beings.
Her clear eyes were as cold as a deep pool as she stared straight at Mo Lin. Her lips parted, uttering a single concise word. "Please."
Yet Mo Lin casually folded his arms across his chest, tilting his head slightly as an amused curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.
His voice carried an unquestionable certainty, as though it were only natural.
"Miss Xun'er, it seems you have gotten one thing wrong." His tone was relaxed, yet it carried undeniable weight. "Simply put, you are the challenger. Since you are the challenger, you should naturally make the first move. That will also let me see exactly how dazzling the Ancient Clan's young lady truly is."
The moment those words were spoken, a flash of surprise and faint anger passed through Xiao Xun'er's autumn-water eyes.
Her status was noble, and her talent was peerless. Since setting foot upon the continent, who among her peers had not treated her with respect?
When had anyone ever so naturally regarded her as the "challenger," as though she were the one who needed to prove her strength? This man's arrogance was simply beyond her comprehension!
She suppressed the turmoil in her heart. Her voice remained cool, though it gained a sharper edge. "Fine! Since that is the case, Xun'er will have to offend you!"
Before her words had faded, her jade foot lightly tapped the ground. Her figure drifted out like a pale green cloud, so fast that only a blurry afterimage remained where she had stood!
At the same time, her slender hands formed a mysterious seal before her chest. Dazzling Golden Flame rose from her palms, instantly condensing into two flaming longswords that seemed forged from pure gold, with runes flowing over their blades!
"Golden Flame Burning Heaven Sword!"
With a sharp cry, she slashed out with both swords crossed!
Two crescent-shaped golden sword energies tore through the air, carrying the scorching heat to burn the eight wastelands and an intent to purify all things. They came from left and right in a perfect pincer attack, seeking to shred Mo Lin apart!
Wherever the sword energies passed, the grass instantly turned to ash. The air twisted and steamed, producing sharp hissing sounds!
Mo Lin's eyes brightened slightly as he secretly praised her. As expected of the Ancient Clan's foremost genius. Her fire control has already reached perfection, and her sword energy is incomparably domineering!
Yet he stood as steady as a boulder. Only when the blazing sword edges were nearly touching his robes did he suddenly raise his hands!
Ice Emperor's Claws instantly covered his arms. Crossing them before his body, he forcibly blocked the two flaming sword energies!
Boom! Boom!
The ultimate clash of ice and fire erupted with deafening roars! Ice shards and golden sparks burst outward like brilliant fireworks!
Mo Lin's body swayed slightly. The ground beneath his feet cracked, and a sheet of crystalline frost spread outward, channeling all of the violent impact into the earth.
Meanwhile, most of Xiao Xun'er's flaming sword energy was shattered. The remaining golden flames fiercely scorched the crystalline ice claws, producing strange sizzling sounds, yet they could not erode them in the slightest.
"What pure ice-attribute Dou Qi! It can actually withstand my Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame's Child Flame without suffering any damage?!" The surprise in Xiao Xun'er's beautiful eyes deepened.
The quality of his icy Dou Qi far surpassed any ice-element Dou Qi she had ever encountered.
However, that surprise swiftly transformed into an even stronger fighting spirit!
Her movement technique suddenly changed. Like a butterfly dancing among flowers, like a willow swaying in the breeze, she continuously circled Mo Lin at high speed.
The twin flaming swords in her hands spun like wheels, each move linking seamlessly into the next. At times, she thrust with the cunning sharpness of a snake emerging from its den; at times, she cleaved down with the crushing force of Mount Tai; at other times, she transformed them into flaming feathers that filled the sky and swept down upon him!
Every strike contained scorching sword intent and vast Dou Qi. Her assault poured forth like spilled mercury, unceasing and relentless!
Mo Lin responded to motion with stillness. Using Ice Emperor's Claws together with his Ice Emperor Body Protection, he blocked, parried, struck, and grabbed. His movements were simple and efficient, precisely neutralizing each of her storm-like attacks.
Ultimate chill and heaven-burning flames clashed and annihilated one another around him without pause. Ice spikes and flowing fire danced together, casting bizarre colors across the valley. The ground alternated between being frozen solid and scorched black.
After nearly thirty exchanges, fine beads of sweat had appeared on Xiao Xun'er's smooth forehead. Her breathing had grown somewhat hurried, and she had expended a considerable amount of Dou Qi.
She realized that although her conventional attacks were fierce, they were unable to break through his seemingly absolute frost defense.
"It seems that unless I use some real skill, I won't be able to make you take this seriously." Xiao Xun'er shouted clearly as she floated back several steps, her gaze becoming incomparably focused.
Her hands swiftly formed an ancient hand seal, and it seemed as though a portion of some seal within her body had quietly been released!
In an instant, the fluctuations of her Dou Qi soared. From a Five-star Dou Master, they rose all the way until they infinitely approached the peak level of a Nine-Star Fighter!
This was a secret technique of the Ancient Clan. It could temporarily raise one's strength without any side effects, revealing just how profound their foundation was.
The powerful sensation brought by her soaring strength invigorated Xiao Xun'er. Her beautiful eyes shone with blazing light.
It had been a long time since she had encountered a peer of equal standing, someone capable of making her go all out!
"Take another move from me! Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Slash!"
She wildly poured her enhanced, majestic Dou Qi into the flaming longsword!
The sword blade expanded sharply in the wind, transforming into a massive golden sword several zhang long. Above its edge, the golden bird-shaped phantom grew increasingly distinct. It shrieked toward the sky, radiating a destructive pressure powerful enough to make even a Da Dou Shi change expression!
The massive sword tore through the air and ruthlessly descended toward Mo Lin with unstoppable momentum!
Under the pressure of the sword, the ground collapsed with a thunderous crash!
Facing this earth-shaking strike, whose power had multiplied several times over, a trace of seriousness finally flashed through Mo Lin's eyes.
"Now this is getting interesting." He murmured, no longer holding back. Deep blue light condensed to the extreme upon Ice Emperor's Claws, forming an ice crystal longsword that seemed carved from the core of ten-thousand-year profound ice—Emperor Sword: Peerless Ice Extreme took shape in an instant!
He stomped both feet against the ground. Like a meteor surging against the current, he charged forward with the ice sword in hand, meeting the heaven-burning giant sword without any flourish!
"Break!"
Clang—!!!!!
This collision was far more imposing than the previous ones!
The tips of the ice sword and fire sword met head-on, and the explosive sound was like nine heavens' thunder crashing down!
A terrifying spherical shockwave of icy blue and golden red energy expanded outward.
Wherever it passed, plants, trees, rocks, and earth were all reduced to powder. Even the distant cliffs shook violently, sending countless stones tumbling down!
At the center of the energy storm, they entered a brief stalemate!
With the vast Dou Qi gained through her secret technique, Xiao Xun'er fully drove the golden greatsword, attempting to crush him with absolute power!
Meanwhile, Mo Lin relied on the unmatched sharpness of the Emperor Sword and the innate restraint of Extreme Ice, holding firm. The deep blue ice sword did not move in the slightest!
Crack... crack...
Several breaths later, harsh cracking sounds rang out once more!
Before Mo Lin's absurdly high-quality Extreme Ice, even though Xiao Xun'er had increased her power, the tip of the golden greatsword still began to crumble, cracks rapidly spreading across it!
Boom!
The giant sword shattered, turning into countless golden motes of light!
Xiao Xun'er gave another muffled groan and stumbled back. Her aura fell into disarray, and her pretty face was filled with disbelief! Even after using her secret technique to raise her strength this far, she still could not shake him?!
Yet the consecutive setbacks did not throw her into panic. Instead, the pride and unwillingness belonging to the Ancient Clan's young lady surged fiercely within her.
"It seems it still isn't enough..." she murmured. A nearly stubborn flame danced in her eyes. "Then how about this!"
She raised her hands once more, and her hand seals suddenly became incomparably complex and ancient. As her ten fingers flew, they guided the Dou Qi around her body along a mysterious and unfathomable trajectory!
A heavy and majestic ancient authority, as though it could draw upon the veins of the earth and suppress mountains, rivers, and kingdoms, began gathering in her palms!
A slightly illusory mountain-seal phantom slowly emerged, radiating a suffocating sense of weight—it was the first move of the Ancient Clan's secret Emperor Seal Art, the incomparably powerful Mountain Splitting Seal!
With her current strength approaching that of a Nine-Star Fighter, forcibly using this high-grade Earth-class Dou Technique, which only a Dou Wang should be able to touch, was still immensely difficult.
The phantom fluctuated continuously. The backlash had already begun battering her meridians, bringing waves of piercing pain.
But her gaze remained firm, carrying an almost stubborn persistence.
She did not care whether this strike would injure her. What she cared about was seeing his true strength!
This was no longer merely a test. It was an invisible contest concerning the pride within her heart.
Beneath her usual elegant and composed bearing, a blazing fire now burned—a fire unwilling to be surpassed by a peer.
Mo Lin sensed the suffocating pressure of the Mountain Splitting Seal. Then, seeing the reckless resolve in Xiao Xun'er's eyes and the deeply concealed competitiveness within them, he instantly understood her thoughts.
She was an exceptionally proud genius. When facing a peer who might surpass her, she possessed the fierce will to measure the gap between them at any cost.
There might not have been much expression on her face, but beneath that indifference, her competitive spirit burned more fiercely than any roar.
He smiled, not mockingly, but with a trace of understanding amusement.
"To force me to get serious, you even dare attempt an Emperor Seal Art beyond your limits... This 'meeting gift' truly is rather heavy." He looked at the stubborn curve of Xiao Xun'er's lips and the faint tremors as she endured the backlash. "Very well. Since you are so determined to see the boundary between us clearly..."
His expression turned solemn. He spread his arms and formed an ancient, mysterious seal. The aura around him resonated with the chill of the entire valley.
"Then I will use this move to answer your persistence."
"Emperor Cold Heaven: Snow Dance Shining Sun!"
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