Bang!
The leader seized on a moment when Shui Lanxin was catching her breath. With a fierce whoosh, he swung his broad-bladed saber and slammed its back against her.
Shui Lanxin grunted, and a mouthful of blood sprayed onto the snow.
Her full-figured body lost its balance and crashed heavily to the ground. She didn't even have the strength to stand.
On the other side, Shui Bing'er was also driven back again and again under the pincer attack of two Soul Grandmasters.
She was already on the verge of absorbing a Soul Ring, and her strength had been severely depleted.
A mercenary seized the opportunity to kick Shui Bing'er in the abdomen.
Her delicate body went flying and crashed hard beside Shui Lanxin. Her knees slammed into the hard ice, and she dropped straight to the ground.
Blood kept spilling from the corner of her fair lips.
By now, the people from Skywater Academy had lost all ability to fight. They could only help one another as they collapsed onto the snow.
Seeing this, the mercenaries burst into wildly arrogant laughter.
"Hahaha!"
"What kind of damn geniuses from Skywater Academy are you? In front of my blade, you're nothing but a bunch of spineless weaklings!"
"You've got such tender skin. I'd feel bad if I roughed you up too much."
The thin mercenary who had kicked Shui Bing'er grinned lewdly as he strode toward her.
He reached out his grimy, rough hand to grab her short, water-blue hair.
"Little beauty, weren't you so impressive when you were killing that snake just now?"
"So why are you kneeling on the ground now?"
Shui Bing'er gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with unyielding defiance.
"Don't touch me with your filthy hands!"
"Even if I die here, I'll never let you beasts have your way!"
The thin mercenary flew into a fit of rage and humiliation.
"You filthy bitch! Still running your mouth with death staring you in the face!"
"I'll skin you alive right now!"
He raised his short blade high. It whipped up a fierce gust of wind as he brought it down hard toward Shui Bing'er's shoulder.
Shui Bing'er no longer had even an ounce of strength to dodge.
Seeing this, the girls from Skywater Academy shut their eyes in despair, not daring to look at the horror that was about to unfold.
At that very moment—
The temperature in the air plummeted like a cliff.
A pure white beam of light appeared out of nowhere, slicing through the swirling snow like lightning.
It was an utterly pure Frost Sword Qi!
Whoosh!
The sword qi shot out from the depths of the blizzard, moving too fast for the naked eye to follow. It cut straight through the thin mercenary.
The mercenary's raised arm froze in midair.
The next second, a thick layer of ice spread wildly from the place where the sword had struck him.
A faint crack rang out.
The living mercenary didn't even have time to scream before he dropped dead on the spot, turning into a lifeless, crystalline ice sculpture.
Silence.
A deathly silence.
Everyone present was stunned by the sudden turn of events. For a moment, even their breathing seemed to stop.
A breeze passed, and fine cracks appeared across the ice sculpture. Then it collapsed with a crash, scattering into shards of ice across the ground.
The mercenary leader was the first to react. His eyes widened, and cold sweat broke out across his back.
He whipped around and roared into the depths of the blizzard.
"Who's there!"
"What reckless fool dares meddle in the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group's business!"
From within the howling snow came the steady, firm sound of footsteps.
Crunch.
Crunch.
The sound of boots treading on snow rang especially clearly through the quiet ice valley.
A tall, slender figure emerged through the white haze and slowly entered everyone's view.
It was a young man dressed in a moon-white robe.
His steps were unhurried, and his whole being exuded a peerless, otherworldly chill, untouched by the dust of the world.
"A bunch of grown men bullying a few young girls out in the middle of nowhere."
"How shameless."
Xue Tianyu clasped his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping calmly over the mercenaries.
Hearing his voice, Shui Bing'er and the others opened their eyes one after another, staring at the newcomer in astonishment.
That terrifying attack just now had actually come from this young man?
With the snow reflecting the light, Shui Bing'er finally saw his face clearly.
Judging by his build and youthful features, he couldn't possibly be more than twelve!
But this young man was unbelievably handsome.
His features looked as if they had been carefully carved from the finest ice, with the uniquely beautiful air of the Ice Phoenix clan.
The aloof pride and cold arrogance between his brows made him impossible to look away from.
Even Shui Bing'er, who always thought highly of herself and never gave boys her own age the time of day, couldn't help looking at Xue Tianyu a few extra times.
Her heart was in turmoil.
She was a Soul Elder with a Soul Power level above thirty, yet she couldn't see through this young man's strength at all!
Standing there, he was like an unfathomably deep abyss.
And he had just called them all "young girls"?
He looked one or two years younger than she was!
When the mercenaries saw the newcomer, they were startled at first. Then their anger flared.
They had thought some reclusive expert had happened to pass by. After all that, it was just a kid who hadn't even finished growing!
The leader raised his saber and pointed it at Xue Tianyu, his face full of malice.
"Where'd you crawl out from, you little brat?"
"You killed one of my Blood Wolf Mercenary Group brothers. You're not leaving here alive today!"
Xue Tianyu's handsome face remained utterly unruffled.
He calmly looked at the leader, who was shouting at him.
"Even your ancestors would have to respectfully call me senior if they saw me."
"And you dare call me a little brat?"
Shui Bing'er and the girls from Skywater Academy were collectively speechless.
The young man was indeed breathtakingly handsome, and the move he had just made was impressive.
But wasn't he being a little too arrogant?
A child of eleven or twelve, telling someone their ancestors would call him senior? That boast was going way too far.
The mercenaries grew even more furious when they heard this.
"You little beast! Still mouthing off with death staring you in the face!"
A Soul Master with thirty levels of Soul Power charged out with a roar.
The Iron Hammer Martial Soul in his hands whipped up a fierce gale as he swung it hard toward Xue Tianyu's head.
"Die!"
Faced with such a powerful blow, Xue Tianyu didn't even give him a proper glance.
He simply raised his right hand at his leisure, bringing his index and middle fingers together as he flicked them lightly toward the Soul Master in midair.
Whoosh!
Another incredibly solid Frost Sword Qi shot from his fingertips.
The sword qi traced a graceful arc through the air, moving at breakneck speed.
The Soul Master hadn't even seen how it appeared before a jet of blood burst from his throat.
The next instant, the icy cold exploded, freezing the blood he had spat out along with his entire body.
With a dull thud, the Soul Master's corpse hit the ground and shattered into several pieces.
An instant kill!
Another instant kill!
Before you continue